Bullpen Bulletins

User interface and the network

This is the third of a three-part series that I hosted for the Economist Intelligence Unit in collaboration with Juniper Networks' NExTWORK program.

The third one entitled: INNOVATION IN USER INTERFACE is a conversation between myself, Bo Begole, Aza Raskin, and Tim Twerdahl.

How will we interface with the network as our physical and digital worlds converge?

Does Steve Jobs Hate Enterprise IT?

Good question.

Video discussion here at Internet Evolution

During his interview at the D8 Conference, Jobs pointed out that in the enterprise, the people that end up using the products don't decide for themselves what technology is the best. And the people that make those decisions sometimes are confused.

Fair enough, but Apple is permeating in so many areas of the enterprise these days that he would be remiss to ignore that part of the business much more, especially with so many iPhones used in corporate culture and the iPad coming online.

7 Deadly Sins of Mac OS X Snow Leopard

From Internet Evolution 8/28/2009

Let the Snow Leopard launch parties begin! Apple's freshest Mac OS X is here, and Mac fans are expected to snap it right up. Too bad the release won't win over most CIOs and may even convert some companies back to Windows.

It's not that the latest Mac OS is a bad kitty. By all reviewed accounts, it's faster, more secure, and improves graphics over previous versions.

But forget your lust over this operating system. Apple's won't make CIOs envious or tempt them to abandon their gluttonous Windows systems. In fact, Snow Leopard will barely register on their network radars, save for complaints from any wrathful Apple fanboys in their midst.

More here...

Top 5 Ways To Keep Your Computer Humming

Ever seen the Blue Screen of Death? It's not a pretty sight.

Last year, I was loading in a new program on an old ThinkPad when it happened. My program stopped running and a blue screen warning about a system failure appeared.

At first, I denied that it happened. Then, I cursed at the screen. Afterward, I started talking to the computer asking it to fix itself (it didn't). Later, I felt so depressed. Finally, I figured it was time to give up and reboot.

Don't be ashamed if something like this happens to you. Computers are perfect. Only people can really mess things up. But having suffered through many computer crashes, I can tell you that we can even the odds. We can keep our computers humming and healthy for quite a long time.

So, I assembled some tips to help. Not everything here will prevent a crash, but just like brushing your teeth, cavities are less common. The list applies to computers that run Microsoft Windows, although some rules are good for you Apple Macintosh users out there as well.

1. Don't Try To Do Too Much At Once (Both) -- multitasking is great, but trying to download music while uploading photos and updating a spreadsheet at the same time is a certain recipe for disaster.

2. Free Up Disk Space (Windows) -- Using "Disk Cleanup" lets you get rid of those unidentified files that just take up space. Click "Start", point to "All Programs," point to "Accessories," point to "System Tools," and then click "Disk Cleanup." If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

3. Defragment Your System (Windows) -- In Windows 2000 and XP, Click "Start," point to "All Programs," point to "Accessories," point to "System Tools," and then click "Disk Defragmenter." This helps reorganize

4. Keep Your Security Current (Both) -- In addition to protecting against viruses, most computer security software will have a feature where you can remove other malicious programs such as spyware (software that tracks your keystrokes or Web sites that you've visited.)

5.  Get Rid Of Old E-mail (Both) -- You would be surprised how much space e-mail can take. If you send your friend a photo, the message is usually saved in your "Sent" folder. Every month, make it a point of deleting some of the larger files. Also purge your "Deleted" file on a regular basis.

What happens if...?

Every now and again, you will come across a problem that seems too big to fix. If this happens to you, call a professional. While every computer company will have a 1-800 number to call (and wait), there are several local companies that would be happy to troubleshoot your computer for a nominal fee.