Microsoft Office

Creativity Skills Test

It’s a short survey, about 25 or so questions, that scores you in four ares, Preserves New Ideas, Seeks Challenges, Broadens Skills and Knowledge, Changes Physical and Social Environment. Then after you submit the questionnaire, you are given scores in each area and a cumulative score. Mine was 63%. Apparantly I need to seek more challenges and change my environment more. It’s a great venue to get yourself thinking of your environment and life; how you interact with it.

This past year, I’ve relocated across the country from Nebraska to Washington State, moved from Tacoma to Seattle. That’s changing my physical environment. Had to furnish my apt, talked to new and interesting people. Maybe I need to get out more?

It’d be interesting to see how other people score and react to the test and their scores. What would you do differently in your creative life for home, work or around town? How do you interact with others? Have you done anything outside your ‘comfort zone’? I really haven’t. Unless you consider being out at night when the criminals and addicts are panhandling.

Crayon Physics Deluxe

Not everyone can be an automoton, working constantly with no play. Plus, there’s a limit on how much time you can spend playing “Solitaire” (four hours, but don’t tell anyone). Here’s a fun program that’s been making the rounds online. Crayon Physics Deluxe.

A little history: It was at last year’s Independent Games Festival that “Crayon Physics” started turning heads in a big way. Those who got a look at the demo version of the game cooed with delight at the way its childish visual style housed game design as thoughtful as anything out there. And despite competing against the likes of the superb “World of Goo,” it managed to walk away with the festival’s Seumas McNally Grand Prize (and the $20,000 check that goes with it).

Created by 25-year-old Petri Purho, “Crayon Physics Deluxe” got its start as a game the computer science student from Helsinki whipped together in a mere five days. And now that the full game has finally launched, it is proving to be every bit as wonderful and whimsical as the early buzz made it out to be.

The thrust of the game is this: There is a ball over here and there is a star over there. You must move the ball to the star by using (virtual) crayons to draw the physical objects that make it possible to transport the ball to its goal. (In the iPhone version of the game you draw by touching finger to screen, and in the PC version you use the mouse to draw with your crayons.)

Crayon Physics Deluxe sounds like a wonderful game that would incite anyone to childlike behavior. But in a good way. I can imagine world leaders at the next G8 summit playing this game before heady talks.

Mini Brick

Microsoft is offering a free program to make create a smiley in your own image!

The program is easy to understand, install and use. You choose from an array of options, from head, eyes, mouth, color for skin, eyes, hair, glasses, hats; most any combination you could ever want. I was looking for a quill and ink, being a writer, but can’t have everything, I guess.

The finished product can be loaded onto your Live Messenger program (add me bricko at lioneservices dot com), spaces, facebook or other social network site. The finished smiley is pretty good, with all the options they have to offer.

Create your own Mini-Me then add your friends to show off your handiwork.

Microsoft Home Magazine

Microsoft Home Magazine has the following sections:

Communications & mobility
Gaming & fun
Home office
Life & style
Memories & crafts
Music & movies
Productivity & planning
Safety & security

There is a newsletter, if you are so inclined to receive it.

Microsoft Home Magazine looks well put-together and the articles are well-written and of interest to everyone. One article was on taking learning-distance courses to complete a degree, another was on how business women are using Windows Mobile to market and conduct busiess. On the gaming page there was a blurb about how one man used his XBOX 360 to: “The Xbox 360 allows me to link my computer with all 10 of my hard drives to my 50″ plasma and Dolby surround sound system. Now I can just pick up my Media Center remote for my 360, press the Media Center button and have instant access to all the media on my hard drives. I’m in love with the notion that I can select any movie, photo or song stored on my computer and it instantly shows on my TV.”
— Jeff W., London, Ont.

The site also offers templetes, downloads, not to mention articles and videos. The site is well done; I spent quite some time browsing around, reading articles and tips from users. It’s fun reading how other people are using the same products you are.

onenote and sharepoint

The Microsoft Norwegian MCS IW team has developed a way to share OneNote notebooks over a SharePoint server. This article discusses how to upload and configure OneNote notebooks across a SharePoint servier for your coworkers to view, synchronize, edit and log onto the server.

For businesses, individuals, and I imagine anyone with a pressing need to share information, projects and notes, this SharePoint idea is a great one. The configuration looks quite simple, they provide a step-by-step guide with images to help you along the way. In detail, their post will show:
This post will explain:

How to create a shared Notebook
How to access a shared Notebook in SharePoint
How is the OneNote file structure within the SharePoint document library
How to configure SharePoint to search OneNote 2007 content on SharePoint sites

The different ways to use and share OneNote is just mind-boggling. OneNote can be shared across SharePoint, Groove, Microsoft Office Online, Live Skydrive just to name a few of the many ways you can share your notebooks.

There have been articles and posts showcasing the versatility of OneNote, from recipe clubs, students, engineers, managers and writers. Many have said that OneNote is the most versatile program to come out of Microsoft in years, and I must agree, that it has been proven to be easy to use, understand and share.

Are you a MOONie? How do you use Microsoft OneNote?

MSN Direct

For what MSN Direct has to offer, just feast your eyes on this:

Additional OEMs including Kenwood Corp., Mio Technology Corp. and Nextar Inc., along with automotive manufacturers BMW AG, Scion and Suzuki Motor Corp., are offering MSN Direct-enabled navigation devices and solutions.

Projected to be available by the first quarter of 2009, these new services will be offered on select MSN Direct-compatible navigation devices and will expand upon what is already an exceptional array of features offered by MSN Direct, including Smart Traffic, weather, gas prices, news headlines, stock quotes, local events, movie times and Send to GPS using Live Search Maps.

MSN Direct now covers 134 metro areas/regions and expanded from 31 to 94 markets. More roads are covered, according to Joe Coco, product unit manager for MSN Direct at the ICES.

Covered now as well is enhances weather, with doppler maps. Drivers can view weather along their route, or take a route with less invasive weather.

Expanded Network of MSN Direct Partners

MSN Direct is offered in both portable and in-dash navigation devices. Subscribers can now choose from more than 30 devices manufactured by new consumer electronics partners Kenwood, Mio and Nextar, along with existing partners Garmin Ltd., Alpine Electronics and Pioneer Electronics. Automotive manufacturers BMW, Scion and Suzuki are providing cost-effective integrated navigation solutions. Car models with MSN Direct include the BMW 1 Series, 3 Series and X3; the Scion xB; and the Suzuki SX4.

Prices: annual fee of $49.95 plus applicable tax, or pay a one-time fee of $129.95 plus tax.

Office Live Workspace

Microsoft Presspass has a great interview with Michael Schultz, Microsoft Office Live Director of Marketing.

There are millions and millions of people around the world using Microsoft Office to help manage their lives. They use the Office products to help schedule carpools, grocery shopping, design party invitations, write reports, just to name a few of the many helpful ideas Microsoft Office helps.

This week, Presspass (of the Microsoft network) spoke to Michael Shultz at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Schultz talked about how using traditional desktop software in conjunction with services such as the upcoming Office Web applications (lightweight, Web-based versions of Office applications expected to be released as part of the next version of Office) could change how consumers work and play, as well as about how parents, students, and home-based businesses can use Office 2007 to make life easier.

In part, here’s what Shultz and Presspass had to say:

Office 2007 can synchronize with Office Web Online to help search for ideas, products and reports. This can help students with school products, businesses with employees online and many other applications. Office Web applications, such as one being developed for Microsoft Office OneNote (becomea MOONie–MicrosOft OneNote!).

Office 2007 can help with tracking your exercise. Says Schulz: “After each daily run, you can post your time to a personal fitness workspace in Office Live Workspace and compare it to previous times. If you share that workspace with your teammates, they’ll get an e-mail every time you update the workspace and will be able to see how you’re doing, and whether they need to step it up.”

Use one of the many online options to share your information: from Office Online, Web based applications, Groove, Infopath, Outlook, for starters. The options are limitless on how you choose to share your information.

Families, businesses, schools and friends can keep in touch instantly with all the available technology Microsoft Office has to offer.

OneNote

There looks to be quite a few available via a OneNote templete, for which Michael posts a video ‘how-to’. If you’ve created your own templetes, be sure to share and let Michael and your fellow MO-ON’s (MicrOsoft OneNoters) know.

Personally, I use my Nokia 9500’s PIM (personal information management) calendar, which is pretty basic, but suits my needs. I can sync it with my Outlook calendar, if I so choose, but I carry it with me everywhere anway.

The Calendar templetes on Michael’s site look impressive and the video shows detailed how-to’s.

On the download page, there are eight downloads available for your OneNote program. There is the January 2009, Feburary 2009, March 2009, April 2009, May 2009, June 2009, 2009 calendar with room for notes, and the 2009 monthly calendar.

There is also available daily, weekly, appointment and note calendars to download. And remember, you aren’t tied to that particular style, font, color, etc on any one calendar templete. Feel free to change any area. You can also add your own pictures, use clipart, basically any image, gif or jpg you feel is appropriate for your needs.

Making a calendar for your office? How about creating your own uplifting sayings with pictures alongside and showoff your work here. Just post a link so everyone can see and download your calendar templetes. Who knows, you may be the next that is in-demand.

Recycle, reduce and reuse are the hallmarks of the “Green Living” lifestyle and ecoists.

There are many useful and easy to embrace ideas in going “Green”. Such as recycling paper, metals, plastics from your life instead of throwing away to a landfill. Many cities (Seattle included) institute recycling programs for cardboard, some plastics, cans and bottles (but not, ironically, Green Bottles). Once the myriad rules and regulations are understood, it’s quite easy to recycle.

Reduce has become a buzzword these days, as in ‘reduce your carbon footprint’. Many people are forgoing their automobiles for cycling, walking and bussing, which is great news for the Puget Sound region. Fewer cars equal less emmissions (which also means less taxes and revenue for the city).

Reuse has garnered many new accolytes, as the recession grows deeper. Have clothing resown, cleaned and reworn, use newspaper for stuffing winter items, luggage and for drying shoes and boots in winter and rain. Reusing plastic grocery bags for shopping or trash bags is popular, as well as buying and using shopping bags (have three myself from a few fairs last summer–and awaiting to receive some that I ordered from my Freebies For Us blog).

Now, the Inside Office Online blog has showcased a developer, Ecofont, that has engineered a ‘Green Font’. This is a font that “By cleverly removing some of the spaces in the letters, the designers have reduced the amount of ink necessary for readable printing.” Very clever, as they admit. It will be interesting to see how fast this font catches on in the business world.

John Guin has an update for OneNote:Over the in the OneNote Discussion Group, Mike made this request for a change to the Table of Contents Powertoy:

“I have downloaded and used the TOC power toy. Again a great thing!
However, is there any way to make the power toy produce a table of contents
which reflects the actual order of the pages rather than by the date last
modified?
I know I could force the power toy to do it by manually making a change to
each page (which can be deleted) in the reverse order that they appear in the
section.
It would be nice to be able to flip a switch to change the power toy’s
default behavior to this one
–Mike”

This brought up a conversation Nani (the creator of the original powertoy) and I had when she was working on the original. I also wanted a table that was unsorted since I believed that I could get more pages listed on the table than the page tabs showed at the right. She thought about it, but decided against implementing that “feature” since it would have distracted from the intent of the powertoy. The “efficiency” you gain from having more rows in the table than in the page tab view is also pretty small - I only get 5 extra rows (up from 35) for a 14% boost. And even then, I had to shrink the font to 8 point and resize some of the columns to get my table to look like this:

Still, it was nice to see someone else asking for a feature I had proposed, so I added a registry key to control whether you wanted to turn off the sorting by date and simply create a table of the pages which exist in the section. I also fixed a type in the title of the page created - it now says “Table of Contents” (plural).

The details for the registry key are in the readme.txt file included in the setup. As usual, you can download the new version by clicking the link below my signature at the end of the article, and the new source code is here.