Outlook 11. Pointed to byEVHEAD. Eliminates need (along with Exchange upgrade) for vpns – that alone seems worth the upgrade. I wonder what % of vpns are installed just for exchange. I think VPN vendors will be unhappy.

Bowl Schedule. ESPN.com: NCF - 2002-03 Bowl schedule – the Rose, Orange, and Fiesta all seem pretty interesting. Sugar Bowl is too regional to really have much buzz. I am also interested in the Outback Bowl – Michigan vs Florida, two great programs. Virginia vs WVU in the Continental Tire Bowl seems like a fun matchup. The Seattle Bowl sounds like a snoozer – just no heat between Oregon and Wake Forest.

Moblogging versus BlogWalking. On 0xDECAFBAD

Weblogs for the Rest of Us. Trying to get most of the teaching staff to use weblogs appears to be a trial. I think the comment that “it is easier to use email than a blog” is very important – if we want to rope in every user in our organizations, we need to get weblog use as easy as email.

There is a lot of inertia to email – people stare at their inboxes all day and use that email editor all day. We need a plugin for our email products that just posts cleanly to a blog from the new message form. maybe you can just type in blog name in the TO: box.

And a plugin that lets you see responses and new blog items right in the email app, maybe right in your inbox.

Sun Whining. Agree with folks like Sam. The real problem for Sun is that they have not created any reason for anyone to care if Java is bundled with desktop machines. If my brand spanking new Dell came with a Java VM, would I as a consumer care? What would make use of it that I find interesting? There is no reason for me to demand a Java VM, there is no reason for OEMs to want to bundle one. If Sun had made it compelling, it would be easy for them to end-run MSFT and get OEMs to bundle the right VM – they bundle software all the time – look at all the shovelware that comes on new machines.

I do want my machine to come with CD burning software, with DVD burning software, with picture capture software. I’d be interested in a machine that came with all the right blogging software to let me easily create blogs and photoblogs. But Java? What does it do for me as an end user?

Miami. Time to start reading the sports page of the Miami paper. Too bad the Columbus paper is not readable online unless you are a print subscriber.

Integrating with Outlook. Not sure this is exactly what I want, but here is someone playing around with Outlook and RDF – maybe some of these references will help me figure out how to integrate blog posting with Outlook?

Paul Allen’s sports empire. Ouch – ESPN.com: NBA - Paul Allen’s sports empire goes dot.bomb

ebook source. my pocketpc is doing nothing right now, maybe I need to start consuming ebooks – Blackmask Online: Like Getting a Drink of Water from a Fire Hydrant

LaCie Big Disk. My 120G NAS is filling up – this might be the way to go – LaCie Big Disk. I’m a little worried about speed though. I guess it will be no slower than my NAS over GBenet.

Blosxom revisited. I gave up on my blosxom experiment a while ago due to iis/windows path issues but it looks like there has been some good work done on raelity these issues – might be worth a retry

Thanks Rich. For starting to ping weblogs.com when you make a change, now your modification times are showing up nicely in my blogroll!

Test. Been screwing around under the covers and want to make sure I am back to normal.

Outlook Spy. Recommended for grovelling around in mapi fields and other outlook innards – Outlook Spy

Corporate Holiday Cards. I am starting to receive holiday greeting cards from companies and business associates, as I do every year. I am sure my own firm will send some out. Call me cold and unfeeling, but I won’t be sending any out to business partners and associates.

I don?t personally feel a warm connection with a firm when I receive these ? I know that someone somewhere just had their admin machinery crank them out. The sincerity is not there. And it costs time and money that we could all put to better use. Occasionally I do get a very personal greeting that someone sends out, those are different and I respect those.

But if you are a business partner of mine, take this as your greeting, and know that instead of spending time and money sending out cards, I’ll be spending a little more time on business issues that matter, a little more time with loved ones, spending a little less money on expenses, and spending a little more helping out those who really need help this holiday season. Happy Holidays!