It's amazing how far we have all come.

I can sit here in the PDX (that's Portland, Oregon) airport, and in all of 10 minutes resolve a minor work crisis, post a new web page to a business web site and get it reviewed and approved, order flowers to be delivered for my mom's birthday today (Happy Birthday Mom!), sync all my email into Outlook from the office, IM with my web hosting provider (who is in the UK) about trapping email viruses, answer a few work emails, and post this blog entry.

All that thanks to free 802.11G WiFi at the airport, with a full signal and none of those get-your-email-etc registration hassles. So nice.

I have a full hour before my flight leaves (traffic was, thankfully, quite lite). Who knows what all I'll be able to get done between now and then.

It used to be that waiting at the airport meant you were completely out of touch unless you wanted to use an airport pay phone (never my favorite thing, either financially or from a hygiene standpoint). Anymore you can't help but be connected and active. I may be flying off to Reston Virginia, but my ability to communicate and stay productive is hardly affected.

It's true that there are some negative effects of always being connected. Stress from overconnectedness (ohhhhh new word, cool...) is a real thing for some people. But managed carefully and moderated successfully, it can also be a great thing.

It's a whole different world we live in today.

Microsoft Security Update instant message alerts notify you when time sensitive information about Microsoft products has been posted on the Security Web site. You can choose to receive these alerts through MSN Messenger or Windows Messenger, your e-mail, or a mobile device like your cell phone or PDA. Register at the Microsoft Security Alerts Web page.

Information on Microsoft Security Update Instant Message Alerts as well as RSS Feeds for Security Bulletins, the Microsoft Security Notification Service, and the Microsoft Security Notification Service Comprehensive Edition can be found at this location:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx

SIDEBAR: Oh, and it looks like they are using LiveMessage, which is what powers my .NET IM alerts for this weblog:

• Check out LiveMessage from MessageCast
•  Get alerts for this weblog

Microsoft's posted a quick online quiz that checks everyday people's spyware knowledge:

"Do you know what spyware is, how to help protect yourself against it, and what you should do if it’s on your computer? Take this quiz to test your knowledge."

After you take the first quiz (which is, admittedly, pretty darn basic), you can move on to the "advanced" quiz. How did you do? I scored 100%, but this is what I do every day.

Other useful information and education about spyware from Microsoft:

• Video: Protecting your computer from spyware
• Try Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta)
• Signs of a spyware infection
• How to get rid of spyware and other unwanted software

Scott and Rory's pre-TechEd video series continues:

"In the fourth and final installment of our 'Those are some really weird TechEd Videos Collection (coming soon in DVD, not)' Rory and I learn the meaning of community as we sleep through the TechEd Keynote Address."

Yyyyyyyyyyyyup!

Ummmm.... Uhhh... Yeah... Not really sure what to make of this one, but Rory's right about baby carrots. Anyhow, view it here.

It's no real surprise that VOOM, a satellite service that provides boatload of HDTV programming to its customers, is about to shut down. Cablevision, the company that owns the subsidiary, is cutting its losses before it's too late.

But it's really too bad that a company that was making its name on hi-def television is going south. With HDTV being such a big thing, a service provider like VOOM, which already has a satellite in operation, seems like such a good thing.

It's unclear what will come of the channels and the satellite space currently used by VOOM when they shut down on April 30th. Hopefully something good will come of all this - HDTV is so late in coming.

Why did VOOM fail? Bad marketing? Before it's time? Cable-company ownership mark of death? Bad company name?

Sorry to see it go...

If you're in the market for a home or a place to rent, you should check out this site, which uses craigslist and Google Maps to help you search for a home. This is what web services and open APIs are all about! Thanks to Paul Rademacher for this cool, useful tool:

http://www.paulrademacher.com/housing/

To start your search, begin with your choice of city (craigslist cities are what's represented, of course) and then you choose whether you are looking to buy or rent:

Next you can choose homes to view on the map, with the key information available in a list to the right. Yellow pointer icons mean the listing has pictures included. You can select your price ranges and you can sort based on price, description, location or date of listing:

(click for full-sized image)

Once you have found a place you are interested in finding out more about, click the home's pointer or the link in the list, and you'll see details, along with a link to the original complete listing.

(click for full-sized image)

Nice stuff. We can expect to see more and more of this sort of thing as time goes on and as services make their APIs more and more open and available to the public.

One of my favorite movies of 2004 was just released on DVD. I received mine on Friday, despite the fact that Amazon says it has not been released yet... The release date is supposed to be April 19th. If you know anything about the plot of this movie, this time shift on the DVD release is a complete mind mess.

Anyhow, I bought two copies of Primer from Amazon.com. Because I want to support movies like this and the people that make them. It's awesome.

This movie was made on a $7,000 budget by a first-time movie maker, and it beats the pants off most films made these days. It was even recently selected for Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival.

And one of the best things about Primer is that it takes your brain for a twister of a ride, gives it a real workout. It's fun, it's smart, it's complicated, it's unique. It's a movie people will appreciate when they see it. If they see it. And you should see it.

• Amazon.com: Order Primer the movie
• Visit the Primer movie official web site at http://www.primermovie.com/

Paul Bausch asks:

Has anyone put rel="nofollow" on the back of a t-shirt yet?

Well, yeah. Sure. And now it's even spelled correctly. Click if ya want one.

(corrected the lingo, changed the shirt, oops!)

Over on Microsoft Downloads today there's a new setup file for Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager:

"Use this application to backup and restore presentations, pictures, songs and applications from and to USB Flash Drive devices and take them with you. Use USB Flash Drives to store personal data, to keep your network configuration and to share information with your friends. Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager is available for Windows XP only."

Copy and backup files, restore backup images from your hard disk (great for standard copying of the same image onto multiple flash drives, too), edit the properties of the drive, put the Flash Drive Manager binaries on the drive and make it autorun when inserted, save your wireless network settings to the flash drive for deployment to other computers, etc.

It's pretty cool. I have a need to be able to deploy multiple copies of the same USB Flash Drive image and to update them periodically. It looks like this utility will allow me to keep a standard library of flash drive images to let me restore a single image to a whole slew of drives very quickly and easily.

Download here

(via Chris Lanier)

Forgive the topic (just skip this entry if you don't care to read semi-graphic bathroom prose), but Doc Searls writes today on his weblog about the bad habits guys have in the men's room - namely not using the urinal for "number one," and making a mess while standing and "using" a stall instead. So, I have to respond. I can't help it, it's like a disease this blogging thing.

Doc bluntly covers the not-lifting-the-seat problem, as well as the hygiene issues:

"But: why piss all over the place? Why not lift the seat? Don't these guys ever sit on the damn toilet? Do they like sitting on somebody else's pee? 

"These questions come to mind for two reasons: 1) because I just witnessed exactly that scene, in a mens' room here at a nice hotel here in San Francisco; and 2) nobody ever talks about the problem.

"So I'm thinking... a substantial percentage of men A) only piss in stalls; and B) don't lift toilet seats. If you're one of those guys, and you blog, can you please explain your position, so to speak, on this issue?"

Well, I can tell you that it still surprises me, even after all these many trips to restrooms over the years, how often I find a bathroom that's a disgusting mess because of people who have no sense of personal responsibility. And that includes places where only adults use the restroom.

But Doc's words make me thing of more.

For example, take the following from Greg's Quiz on Common Sense Men's Room Hygiene, based on experiences of observation over the past couple of weeks:

A guy walks into the men's room, approaches the urinal, and relieves himself. Once he's done he "zips-up" and then...

a) walks straight out the door.
b) walks straight to the sink, washes hands, dries hand on paper towel, and walks out the door.
c) walks straight to the paper towel dispenser, uses paper towel, and walks out the door.

Which action is the most disgusting? Please explain you answer.

Use the comments to relieve yourself of your thoughts and record your answers to the quiz, should you be so inclined.

Why do I have these images from RoboCop movies going through my mind?

In case anyone's deciding what to get me for my mid-life crisis phase, one of these Land Walkers would do just fine.

This thing's cool. Who the heck has the time to sit around and think this stuff up??? Check out a demo video here.

Crazy, but pretty darn cool. Stick a super-soaker on that and it's party time.

I was just Google-Mapping a route and location in Vancouver, BC from Seattle when I noticed something that was not on the web service pages yesterday:

Google just added satellite imagery to their entire Google Maps web app! Go try it - it's pretty amazing! Below are the standard Google map, same resolution satellite imagery, and a surprisingly excellent full zoom image (with my own handwritten notations, thanks to the new Tablet PC Experience Pack).

That Keyhole acquisition is paying off.

Thank goodness for blogging and for people like Mike Fitzmaurice of Microsoft (Developer Evangelist for SharePoint technologies), who posts some official information regarding the pending release of .NET v2 and Whidbey, which is expected this year.

It's a bit confusing right now for SharePoint developers, as they look at the coolness of the next version of the .NET framework and Visual Studio and try to decipher what they can/should develop, on which platforms, and when.

SharePoint v3 won't ship until well after Whidbey (Visual Studio 2005) and .NET v2.0 hit the street. So, Mike's blog entry is a welcome and useful explanation of what platforms and versions of software will interoperate and produce workable results in SharePoint land.

If you're a SharePoint developer, this is for you: 

http://blogs.msdn.com/mikefitz/archive/2005/03/17/397775.aspx

and this article is also a great resource for understanding what's coming and how things relate:

http://www.theserverside.net/articles/showarticle.tss?id=WebParts1

If you're looking to learn about SharePoint Portal Server 2003 for the first time, or if you'd like to get some hands-on experience with a system that you can break and not have to worry about as you ramp up on the technology, check out the TechNet Virtual Labs offer for SPS 2003.

It's a good resource for people who want to learn in detail from the comfort of their own desk chair.

TechNet Virtual Lab: Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003

Get first-hand deployment experience through the Virtual Lab series. The Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 hands-on labs will teach you how to set up the portal, organize content on the portal, manage user permissions, create Web Parts for custom tasks, and much more.

It's simple — no complex setup or installation is required to try SharePoint Portal Server running in the full-featured TechNet Virtual Lab. You get a downloadable manual and a 90-minute block of time for each module. You can sign up for additional 90-minute blocks anytime.

As part of the TechNet Virtual Lab, you will have full access to SharePoint Portal Server's features and tools through ten modules:

•	An Introduction to Microsoft Office SharePoint Products and Technologies
•	Creating a Custom Site Definition for Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
•	Creating a Web Part for Microsoft Office SharePoint Products and Technologies
•	Creating Connectible Web Parts for SharePoint Products and Technologies
•	Managing SharePoint Portal Server Content and Navigation
•	SharePoint Portal Server People and Personalization
•	SharePoint Products and Technologies Permissions Management
•	Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 to Customize Windows SharePoint Services
•	Using Windows SharePoint Services with Microsoft Office Professional 2003 Applications
•	Using the Windows SharePoint Services Object Model

The Visual Studio 2005 Team System webcast series started today - and they continue all month long of particular interest to me right now is Visual Studio 2005 Team System: Enterprise-Class Version Control, which will be presented mid-month.

Probably well worth tuning in...