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| I took this photo at the Lincoln Memorial in DC. I was awed by Washington, DC. It is a great place to visit to begin to get a sense of our roots and our founders and the great people that preceded us. In this grand election month, I contemplated how it once was. How dedicated, devoted and passionate people were to have lead our country through remarkably difficult times. It is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Where are the Lincoln's of our age? Where is Mr. Smith? It was Lincoln who said, "It is not merely for today, but for all time to come that we should perpetuate for our children's children this great and free government, which we have enjoyed all our lives". | In This Issue |
| November 2012 | Microsoft and B&N Office 365 Cloud Services Colin Powells 13 Rules |
Welcome to News from trif.com! First time readers, I am glad you're here! Returning readers, welcome back! | TRIF.COM Technology solutions are a part of doing business just like sales and marketing, It is an important component in servicing customers, managing costs and controlling operations. TRI has an uncanny ability to find affordable technology solutions for a wide variety of situations. Our capabilities bridge database design and development, Internet web-based programs, hosting and co-location services, network and computer sales and support, document imaging, bar code scanning, corporate communications, fax and email programs, mobile applications, cloud computing and help desk services. Interested in taking a step forward with technology? Looking to take advantage of the latest advances? Or just want to take advantage of your new computer? |
Microsoft, B&N and the Surface So what is Microsoft looking to accomplish sinking 300 million dollars into Barnes & Noble? That represents almost 18% of B&N. Well, it creates a new entity; Nook Media LLC. B&N is now an able contender in the battle with Amazon. Nook Media includes the digital and college businesses of B&N and is backed by the technological, legal and financial mite of Microsoft. Beyond that, it really isn't clear. But Amazon and Goggle will take some notice. One thing that has been promised is a Nook powered by Microsoft Windows 8. Will that differ from the new Microsoft Surface First looks at the Surface hosts a 10.6" widescreen display, a highly rated case with keyboard built in, a flip out stand, and more weight than the iPad4. It is bundled with a version of Windows 8 (named Windows RT) and will be a pain to try and get legacy software to run on it. It operates a bit like a laptop but has the feel of a tablet, so it is really a good mix. Initial tests find it lagging in performance, so buyer beware. All this said, what you do get with the Surface is Windows behind the Xboxy interface. That includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote. OK, it doesn't support Visual Basic for Applications, so it limits our ability to create Office Apps for the Surface. Ouch! But I suspect that will be forthcoming. Sometime in the 1st quarter of 2013, Microsoft is expected to release the Surface with Windows 8 Pro. A 2 pound monster tablet. Roughly the same dimensions but a whopping 1920x1080 resolution display, 128gb optional storage, USB Ports, micro SDXC card and video out port. This one has me on the edge of my seat! | |
Cloud Services with Office 365 If we haven't already spoken to you about Microsoft Office 365, we will soon. We have been installing the Cloud-based version As Microsoft put's it:
Our experience tells us more:
If you are interested, please email us at info@trif.com. |  |
Colin Powell's 13 Rules I am half-way through Colin Powells' book "It Worked For Me". It is a positive book with many lessons and some great It is uplifting because he was never an outstanding student. He wasn't great at sports. What he had was a great deal of common sense and amazing instincts. Who knew that his love all through the years he was in the limelight was repairing old Volvo's. I guess everyone needs a passion and why would rebuilding vintage Volvo's not qualify? I enjoyed his candor and also respected his choice to stay away from the financial institutions that sought him out after his departure from the Bush administration. I also respect him for leaving the Bush administration when it was clear to him that the President no longer desired his advice. Powell gives us his 13 Rules in the first Chapter and gives us near full-disclosure to support them. I share them with you in the hopes you might also read his book and learn why each of these rules holds importance for him and why they may hold some importance for you. The 13 Rules
If you are interested, it is available from Amazon for under $16.00. Click Here | If any of the information here is of interest to you, please drop us a note. If you would like to see specific information on technology issues that affect you and your business, please let us know. |
Have an Emergency? Need Support Now? Email: support@trif.com Call: 747-333-8743 | Robert McKay Jones TRI 50 Leominster Road Suite #3 Sterling, Massachusetts 01564 877-253-2379 |
Tablet? That brings up another topic, the Microsoft Surface Tablet. 
of Office for many of our clients. We have had some great success and are about to begin unleashing some of the power behind Office 365 and Sharepoint and Exchange. The suite which has moved into the cloud offers extraordinary flexibility, productivity and freedom. The mobility is really what has impressed me. 
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taxes our creative psyche and requires an inordinate amount of concentration. It is similar to an athlete finding the strength, will and determination to attain extraordinary height, speed or distance. It is often an ongoing uphill struggle that requires the endurance and cooperation of all those that are touched by the project. 
hoopla surrounding this new formidable device. Yes, thankfully you can still have a phone conversation with the iPhone 5. But alas, there is much more to it. Here is the short list:
streaming player and certainly the most popular. What does that mean? It will act as a hub for Internet TV and Video streaming connecting your Internet connection to your TV. There are countless, literally countless stations available – enough to please any interest. There are the standards like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, TED, Disney, CNBC, NBC News, Fox News, Showtime, etc. There is also the ability to link your Roku with your Facebook, Flickr, Pandora, Picasa, Vimeo or Shutterfly. 
products such as Excel, Access and Outlook. Basically it means you can use 'if- then' logic to ascribe color to things that will enhance your user experience. Here is an example. Let's say that you would like to use the Outlook Calendar as a To Do listing tool, but you want the items to stand out. You can set up a conditional formatting rule that colors any calendar entry that contains the text to do as a bright vibrant color. To do this in Outlook 2010, right click on your calendar and click View Settings, then click on Conditional Formatting.
Plenty! This little guy lost his rear right foot in a battle with something other than me. You would think that would give him pause to cross a 75' cable 20 feet in the air. Nay Nay! He climbs a tree close to the house and onto the roof. He travels the roof peak finding his way to one end of the high-wire and slowly descends onto the wire heading for a caged block of feed intended for Downey woodpeckers and feathered friends. 
and fax. We use 8x8, Inc. It is one of the highest rated voice over IP services available and provides some great features. 
used by service providers. In a recent application we developed, dispersing money was a key requirement. We needed our operations software to tender funds to drivers instantly. We needed to accommodate advances as well as payments and it needed to be done using the services of both Comdata (Comcheck) and our client's bank. 
around Northern Avenue. Decades ago, in a prior life, I worked on the Army Base on Summer Street and ate at Jimmy’s Harborside and Jimbo’s with some frequency. It was a run-down area with refrigerated trucks racing up and down the beat up cobblestone road. The Army Base is gone or transformed I should say (now Black Falcon Cruise Terminal and the Boston Design Center) and the whole area is now a wonderful attraction. From Fan Pier to the Boston Marine Industrial Park and on to Castle Island -- it is yet another shining star of Boston. 
any of these things, consider adding a 2nd or a 3rd monitor to your desktop: multi-task, search for pictures, use email like it was texting or need to reference multiple things at the same time. You will find you print things much less often which is a very good thing. The mouse slides smoothly from left to the right monitor as if it was a single screen. Many applications will span monitors as you can see in the picture above.