Latest Headlines

As you may know, Melanie Pinola is the Guide for About.com’s Mobile Office site, and also writes a Tech it Out blog for ITworld. This week, she found an amazing deal code you can enter to get lifetime access to computer courses made by Infinite Learning, through a learning site named Udemy–for the sweet deal of just $10 USD.

This includes office software courses for Microsoft Office 2013, Microsoft Office 2010, and Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac. This deal is for a limited time, so if you get a minute today, take a look!

Office.About.com Nerdsday Your Inner Office Software Nerd Validated Every Thursday

Google Glass is a wearable computer still in its infancy, with only a few people trying it out thanks to an interesting beta test Google began earlier this year: How to Cyborg Early for the Right 50 Words or Less.

The whole things is forward-thinking certainly, but it is no longer futuristic. Check out this article on The Verge showing what’s already working on the existing Google Glass protoypes: tethering to one’s phone, mirroring (so others can see on your phone what you’re seeing through Google Glass), and several apps with productivity implications, including Evernote. It’s a really interesting read!

More interesting thoughts on Google Glass:

Google Glass brings a host of questions about privacy and social change: Will Google Glass Make People Be Nicer in Public?

How Google Glass Works: A Visual Guide [Infographic]

Raspberry Pi Wearable Computers – Possibly a more affordable alternative to Google Glass.

(c) Image Courtesy of Google

The New York Daily News is reporting that the Monday’s tornado tragedy in Oklahoma  may be the most expensive twister in history with an estimated $2 billion in storm damages. Sadly, the article notes that at least 24 people are dead and ten times that number have been injured.

That storm is being tagged an EF-5. And EF-1 ripped though the little village I live in a couple of years ago and I will never forget the damage of that less-significant storm. Many homes were flattened, families were left iwth nothing but the clothes on their backs, news helicopters cirled the area for three days and chain saws were heard frequently over the next week. Beautiful forests and wooded lots in subdivisions lost mature trees, like the one that was ripped up by its roots in my own back yard. Thankfully, we had no fatalities and the police and fire personnel were fantastic, ringning doorbells twice that night to ensure all was well in the homes that were still standing.

Like I’ve been saying every year around this time for the past several years in this blog, protecting yourself and other people and pets is top priority to avoid injuries or dead, but recovering financially after a tragic storm is still stressful even if you escape physical harm. Prove what you’ve lost in belongings and home damages to the insurance company, and the claims procedure goes much faster. Home inventory software gives you an easy way to document the cost of your personal items and to have photo proof to back up claims, so please learn more about this:

• Home Inventory Software: What It Is, How to Use It
• Windows and Mac Home Inventory Software Choices
• Online Home Inventory Software Reviews

Photo by Shelley Elmblad, family after local tornado

The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend affects office software and continues to advance; in fact, ZDNet’s Teena Hammond describes BYOD as unavoidable.

Her article is part of ZDNet’s informative hub on the subject: BYOD and the Consumerization of IT, with all sorts of resources for managers, IT personnel, and employees.

It’s worth a look, whether you have heard rumors rumbling in your organization, or are already part of an implemented BYOD strategy.

Office.About.com Newsday Office Software & Productivity Updates Every Tuesday

Today, Microsoft unveiled Xbox One, the latest version of its popular gaming system. I am not a gamer, but From a productivity standpoint, I am interested in the fact that Kinect, the gaming sensor users have the option of adding to their Xbox system, now recognizes players’ voice commands as well as detecting movements. Here’s why.

Kinect has already been developed for educational and business applications as well as entertainment. How soon before we start seeing this technology in Microsoft Office and other productivity tools?

• Cool Kinect Hacks for Home, Office
• The Microsoft Digits Project and Gesture Recognition
• Technology-Driven Education Initiatives

Right away, this latest version of Kinect has spooked some people out. Does it mean Microsoft is always listening to you, since the Kinect turns on when you say, “Xbox On”? (Microsoft response to T.C.Sottek of the Verge).

I just want using Microsoft Office to become a little more like Tony Stark looking for crime scene data in Iron Man 3.  Will we all get up out of chairs and walk around giving commands, or move laser images with our hands? Will we finally be free from being hunched over our desks? One can hope!

Getting Serious About Ergonomics at Your Desk and On the Go