When Microsoft XP was released in October 2001, it was followed by lots of criticism. But the fact of the matter is that XP is predominant in our corporate environment, even today.

I’m going to share with you two free tools that will turn your XP Pro operating system into a robust powerhouse using Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Administration Tools Pack .

First, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools has an arsenal of tools helping administrators streamline management tasks such as managing Active Directory, troubleshooting operating system issues, configuring security features and networking and automating application deployment. Actually, there are over a 100 utilities in all.

Below are just a few of the utilities provided:

* Acctinfo.dll (documented in Readme.htm)

* Adlb.exe: Active Directory Load Balancing Tool

* Admx.msi: ADM File Parser

* Atmarp.exe: Windows ATM ARP Server Information Tool

* Atmlane.exe: Windows ATM LAN Emulation Client Information

* Autoexnt.exe: AutoExNT Service

* Cdburn.exe: ISO CD-ROM Burner Tool

* Checkrepl.vbs: Check Replication

* Chklnks.exe: Link Check Wizard

* Chknic.exe: Network Interface Card Compliance Tool for Network Load Balancing

* Cleanspl.exe: Spooler Cleaner

* Clearmem.exe: Clear Memory

* Clusdiag.msi: Cluster Diagnostics and Verification Tool

* Clusfileport.dll: Cluster Print File Port

* Clusterrecovery.exe: Server Cluster Recovery Utility

* Cmdhere.inf: Command Here

* Cmgetcer.dll: Connection Manager Certificate Deployment Tool

* Compress.exe: Compress Files

* Confdisk.exe: Disk Configuration Tool

* Consume.exe: Memory Consumers Tool

* Creatfil.exe: Create File

* Csccmd.exe: Client-Side Caching Command-Line Options

* Custreasonedit.exe: Custom Reason Editor (documented in Readme.htm)

Download the 11.8MB rktools.exe file HERE.

Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools

Second,  Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Administration Tools Pack allows Administrators to perform remote server management function from either a Windows XP Pro operating system or  one of the Windows Server 2003 Family operating systems.

Below are some the the Utilities Provided:

* Administer Exchange 2003

* Active Directory Utilities

* Cluster Administration

* DHCP

* DNS

* Network Load Balancing Manager

* Remote Storage Utility

* Telephony

* Terminal Service Manager

* WINS

* Remote Desktop

Download the 14MB  WindowsServer2003-KB340178-SP2-x86-ENU.msi file HERE

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Administration Tools Pack

There you have it. You have just turned your drab XP Pro operating system into a robust powerhouse one-person-command-center to be reckoned with.

Though there are a multitude of possibilities and selections, here’s a comparison between Amazon’s Kindle DX, priced at $379, and the iPad 16GB with 3g, priced at $499.

Amazon Kindle DX

Pros:

1. 9.7 Anti-glare, auto rotating screen, 1200 x 824 pixel resolution at 150 ppi

2. 4GB storage

3. Roughly 168 hours of battery life (336 when Wi-Fi is off)

4. Operating system is easy to navigate

5. Free 3g wireless

6. Global coverage (100+ countries)

7. Text to speech feature (the Kindle will read to you)

8. 670,000 paid media subscriptions

Cons:

1. Right side navigation only

2. Non-replaceable battery

3. Not backlit

4. Small keyboard

5. No Flash support

iPad 16GB 3G

Pros:

1. 9.7 high-resolution color LED backlit IPS display

2. 16GB storage

3. 10 hours of battery life

4. Runs on iPhone operating system

5. Paid 3g contract with your wireless provider

6. Roaming charges will apply

7. Downloadable Amazon Kindle application (which allows you to download any book in the Amazon store)

8. Comes with the option to download the iBooks application. iBooks allows you to read any ePub format as well as any PDF –user guides, textbooks, business proposals and project plans.

9. Third party apps compatibility

Cons:

1. No Flash support

2. Non-replaceable battery

With all the technical specs laid out, the comparison is like comparing apples to oranges. When Amazon developed the Kindle, they had the avid reader in mind. They even went so far as to create the Kindle with a non-backlit, anti-glare screen. This wasn’t by accident; Amazon wanted to give the user the look and feel of reading a book without the paper.

In contrast, the iPad was created for the social-media-minded users that need their daily dose of touching bases with an old friend on Facebook, watching a drunk person get owned on Youtube, chatting on IM, watching movies on Netflix, or looking at favorite magazines and reading their favorite book using Zinio.

If you like curling up in front of the fireplace with your favorite novel, Amazon’s Kindle is a great choice. But if you would rather be tagging, chatting and bogging, the iPad has your name written all over it!

Just recently I’ve been hit with a lot of spam on my WordPress blog – Sometimes up to 50 per day. Well, after doing a little research, I was able find a few plug-ins that do a phenomenal job at combating these nuisances though they are flawed in a reasonably acceptable ways.

Captcha

CAPTCHA, which stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart” and developed at Carnegie Mellon University, is a program that protects websites against Bots and Spam by generating random graded tests that humans can pass and computers can’t. CAPTCHA is are available for programming environments like Perl, Python and Java, as well as application plug-ins like WordPress.

One of the known issues with the CAPTCHA system is that it creates a significant accessibility barrier. I can’t even remember the countless number of times that I’ve blatantly gave up on trying to input the correct word.

Another issue with CAPTCHA is the ability for computer programs to penetrate them. Some known failed CAPTCHA’s are:

1. Pre-processing: Removal of background clutter and noise.

2. Segmentation: Splitting the image into regions which each contains a single character.

3. Classification: Identifying the character in each region.

Akismet

Akismet is a Spam filtering service. As the Bot/Spam hits your blog Akismet runs tests and checks the content of the comment anonymously with online black list servers, to determine whether it is spam or not

One of the complaints about Akismet is that commenters are being wrongfully flagged as spammers, which is a bummer for everyone.

Prior to doing the research, I loaded Akismet and I’ve been pleased with the outcome. It had been rumored that Akismet had blacklisted bloggers that spoke against the company. I’m unsure of the validity of the rumor but thought I should present my findings.

Other notable Spam filtering services and CAPTCHA applications that have a few extra bells and whistles are:

Mollom

Mollom is the best of both worlds according to the Mollom website. (Websites using Mollom send data they want checked to mollom.com, and Mollom replies with either a spam or ham classification. If Mollom is not certain, it will return an “unsure” reply, typically prompting websites to ask Mollom’s CAPTCHA server for an audio or visual CAPTCHA challenge to present to the user.)

Defensio

Defensio has really done their homework, It’s not only a spam filter service but it also eliminates malware, malicious content, category blocking and also filters profanity.

TypePad AntiSpam

Developed by Six Apart, TypePad AntiSpam is a spam plug-in that fights against comment spammers. Initially developed for Typepad it has also been developed for WordPress.

After doing the homework. I’ve given small tidbits of what these plug-in and applications do but I do recommend visiting the plug-in or application website yourself and find what best suits your needs and do a little discovering for yourself.

To sum it all up I found issues in both Spam filtering and CAPTCHAs and I can honestly say that there is no sure way to combating these nuisances without compromising usability.

BLOG ON!

Yahoo’s Connected TV group has done an outstanding job incorporating their Widgets engine into the 10-foot experience. They worked with several television manufacturers (Samsung, LG, VIZIO and Sony) to give consumers an Internet experience on their television. Yahoo Widgets can best be described as an embedded content engine made specifically to work on web-enabled TVs. This Widget engine is an open source platform, which allows online content companies to create a Widget allowing the consumer to stream video, check email, update Twitter, and check stocks from the comfort of their couch as they watch television. And if they’re already a Yahoo user, they can just sign into their account via the Widgets engine and get all their personalized content while they watch TV.

At first glance, these web-enabled televisions don’t look any different from other televisions and for the most part, you wouldn’t even see the Widget interface unless you clicked a button on your remote. Our VIZIO remote was equipped with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, which makes typing emails and updating Twitter a sinch.

Pros:
Intuitiveness of the Yahoo Widgets engine
No need for a set top box
On demand movies, email, stock price, weather

Cons:
Currently each television manufacturer has exclusive rights to the widgets of certain online content providers therefore reducing the selection of Widget enabled televisions to choose from

I was so impressed with the intuitiveness of the widgets, as well as the variety of widgets available that I went out and bought myself a 42-inch VIZIO.

A Web-enabled television with Yahoo Widgets installed is definitely my television of choice.

Through the woods and from the trenches, Ooma has persevered and has come out with a grip of new features:

- Ooma pure Voice

- Ooma Telo Handset (Featuring DECT 6.0 Technology)

- High Definition Voice

- Mobile phone calling from your iPhone and iPod Touch

- Bluetooth Support

- Google voice extension and voice transcription

James Mentz, CEO of Bit Cauldron gave a precision tuned demo on their 3D electronic shutter glasses. At the 2010 Consumer Electronic Show, lot of effort went into research and development of 3D eye wear this year in terms of form and function, and from the looks of it, Bit Cauldron may be at the forefront of this 3D innovative technology.

Nick Peterson of Skullcandy gave us a rock’n demo on two of the new products they have set for release in 2010. Skullcandy didn’t let us down! Getting big name support from artists like Jay-Z and Mix Master Mike coupled with patent pending technology and excellent sound, these products will please even the seasoned professional.

Matt Frazer gave an amazing demonstration of the highly anticipated Panasonic Full HD 3D Plasma screen TV with Frame Sequential Method Technology.

As we all know, HD 3D was the crowd pleaser at the Consumer Electronic Show this week and I can tell you that Panasonic didn’t disappoint!

Kudos to the Panasonic website for shedding a little more light on their Frame Sequential Method: “Panasonic selected the frame sequential method to bring cinema-like realism to 3D movies at home. Separate images for the left and right eyes are recorded with 1920 X 1080 full-HD quality and alternately played at high speed. By watching these images through special LCD glasses that are timed to open and close the right and left lenses in synchronization with the alternating images, the viewer is treated to exciting 3D realism. This brings cinema-level images right into the living room, without the problems of image deterioration and blurring that were common to conventional 3D systems. “