The Road to Know Where: Personal

Sorry for the Lack of Blogging

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:46:43 GMT

Due to some personal triumphs, a family tragedy, and a much deserved vacation “The Road to Know Where” blog needed to take a break.

I sincerely appreciate the emails and comments I’ve received – and I promise there are plenty of articles that will appear shortly.

Thanks – Blake Handler

Switch Search Engines and Help Save the World

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 04:05:55 GMT

Microsoft asks: Searching for a way to help? You've found it!

Until March 31, each time you use Windows "Click 4 the Cause" Live Search, Microsoft will contribute to ninemillion.org, a UN agency-led campaign providing education and sports programs for the nine million refugee youth around the world.

--> Click Here to Click 4 the Cause <--

Thanks Rodney

"Road to Know Where" Receives Ferrari 5000

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 08:23:59 GMT

Thanks to Long Zheng at I Started Something I read that I'm in great company when I received my evalutation Ferrari 5000 portable comptuer preloaded with Windows Vista 64 Ultimate. (My review will follow)

A Few Other Ferrari Recipients:

Brandon LeBlanc - MS TechToday
Scott Beale - Laughing Squid
Barb Bowman - Barbs Connected World
Mauricio Freitas - My Window to the World
Mitch Denny - Not Gartner
Zen.Heavengames

Ferrari 5000 Specs

Processor - AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 (2x512KB L2 cache, 2.0GHz)

Chipset - ATI Radeon Xpress 1150

Memory - 2GB (1GB installed in each of two memory slots)

Storage

160GB SATA hard drive with Acer DASP (Disk Anti-Shock Protection)
Modular slot-loaded variable-speed DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive:

Read – 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-R, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD-ROM, 6X DVD-R, 6X DVD+R, 6X DVD-R DL (double-layer), 6X DVD+R DL (double-layer), 6X DVD-RW, 6X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM

Write – 24X CD-R,16X CD-RW, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 5X DVD-RAM, 4X DVD-R DL (double-layer), 4X DVD+R DL (double-layer)

5-in-1 card reader for optional MultiMediaCard™, Secure Digital card, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO™ or xD-Picture Card™
Optional external USB 1.44MB diskette drive

Video

15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) TFT LCD
Up to 16.7 million colors, 16ms response time
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics
ATI POWERPLAY 5.0 power management, PCI Express and Microsoft DirectX 9.0 support
Acer Video Conference: VVoIP via integrated Acer OrbiCam adjustable 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera with 225° rotation
VGA, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) and S-video TV-out ports
Support for simultaneous display on notebook LCD and external monitor

Audio

Integrated microphone and two speakers
Microphone-in, line-in and headphones/speakers/line-out with SPDIF support ports
Microsoft DirectSound compatibility

Interface Ports

DC-in
RJ-11 modem
RJ-45 LAN
VGA
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
S-video TV-out
Microphone-in
Line-in
Headphones/speakers/line-out with SPDIF support
FireWire (IEEE 1394)
FIR (fast infrared)
Four USB 2.0
Connector for optional ezDock docking station

Card Slots

Type II PC Card slot
5-in-1 card reader for optional MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO or xD-Picture Card

Communications

Acer InviLink 802.11b/g wireless LAN, Acer® SignalUp technology for enhanced antenna efficiency, WI-FI CERTIFIED
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (enhanced data rate) wireless PAN
Bluetooth VoIP phone
Gigabit LAN, Wake-on-LAN ready
V.92 56Kbps data/fax modem, PTT (postal, telegraph, telephone) certified in select countries
Acer Video Conference: VVoIP (voice and video over IP) via Acer OrbiCam integrated 1.3 megapixel CMOS camera

Dimensions & Weight

14.3" (364.0mm) W x 10.7" (271.0mm) D x 1.0" (26.3mm) H
6.6 lb. (3.0kg)

Power

90-watt AC adapter
Nine-cell lithium ion battery: up to 3.5 hours life depending on configuration and usage; 2.0 hours recharge time with power off, 2.5 hours with power on, 80% charge in 1.0 hour

Security Features

User and administrator BIOS passwords
Kensington lock slot
Acer DASP (Disk Anti-Shock Protection) for hard drive

The Power of Blogging: Microsoft Really Does Listen

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:33:05 GMT

On my Ultimate List of Free Windows Software from Microsoft a comment was left on Thursday by “Mike” saying the GroupShot download link was incorrect, because Microsoft’s link was actually wrong!

I located the correct file on Microsoft’s FTP site, updated my blog, and simply emailed Alex Colburn from Microsoft’s GroupShot Development Group.
The next day (Friday) Alex replied to my email saying: “Thanks! I'll fix it as soon as i get back to the office!”
And on Monday? Microsoft's Website's Link is Fixed!

--> Corrected GroupShot Download Link <--

Thanks: My Shameless Self-Publicity Worked!

Sat, 05 Aug 2006 19:28:11 GMT

Last week Microsoft re-launched and updated MSN Spaces as Windows Live Spaces – we now have many new features and our new (final) URL Address.

During the past year, Microsoft’s MSN Spaces had four URL Addresses:

spaces.msn.com/members/bhandler
spaces.msn.com/bhandler
bhandler.spaces.msn.com
bhandler.spaces.live.com

Each time Microsoft made a change to our URL address MSN Spaces bloggers became harder to find – and worst of all, it reset our reputations on blog services like Technorati back down to ZERO!

So what did I do? I sent an email to various bloggers I’ve met over the past year since my blog began. I asked (ok, begged) people to link to my new article Ultimate List of Free Windows Software from Microsoft.

And while no MSN Space’s blogger will ever reclaim their previous reputations – my personal little publicity stunt did indeed help jump-start my Technorati rating.

I owe a debt of gratitude to those people that linked to my updated article – and wish to reciprocate with a link back to your blog as my personal thanks!

Here’s a link back to you (^_^)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Sorry if I missed anyone!)

Girl's History of the United States

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 00:30:41 GMT

I was asked to write a brief history of the United States for my daughter’s Girl Scout Troop – each one of the ten girls read one line.

While Christopher Columbus discovered America, it was Queen Isabella of Spain that gave him the money and ships to do it!
While Captain John Smith found a path to the Pacific Ocean, it was the Indian Pocahontas that really led the way!
While our founding fathers wrote slavery into law, it took author Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” to show the suffering of enslaved people.
While we fought ourselves in the Civil War; Clara Barton treated the wounded (founding the Red Cross), and Harriet Tubman led slaves to freedom along the “Underground Railroad.”
While our nation was rebuilding, it was Jane Addams that founded our first centers to provide assistance to poor families.
While only men voted in elections, it took Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to lead the way for a woman’s right to vote.
While the Great Depression devastated our nation financially, it was photographer Dorothea Lange that showed us the human toll.
While men ruled the sky’s in airplanes, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to pilot across that Atlantic Ocean, shattering that myth.
While only white people received convenient seats on busses; it was Rosa Parks who brought about changes that benefit all people.
While Gina Davis pretends being our first female president on TV; with roll models from our past, we know that footnote in history will also come to pass.

So Sorry :-(

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 17:00:53 GMT

I promised that the Road to Know Where, would be “Quick nuggets of technical information in an easy to understand format” – and then I recently posted a really-long article on How to Troubleshoot Outlook; which was far from a QUICK read!

http://spaces.msn.com/members/bhandler/Blog/cns!1pt1v0Q4vD8jSvNS4lqdAuug!271.entry

I’ve created a new category called Know Where Know-How. These articles will attempt to condense all pertinent information on a given topic into a single article.

Unfortunately, an article with many nuggets is longer than a blog with only one nugget. So I appologize?

-- BLAKE --

P.S. My Know Where Know-How articles take a great deal of time to create. If you choose to "borrow" its content, I'd appreciate an acknowledgment and/or trackback. Thank-you.

Happy Anniversary

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 15:09:00 GMT

Today is my 14th Wedding Anniversary. And while it’s a joyous occasion; sharing this day with the 9/11 tragedy is humbling.

Our Big-10 Year anniversary was on that actual horrible day -- with a surprise party planned with our friends. Even at Disneyland (the Happiest Place on Earth) the crowd’s mood was subdued. As it should have been.

Today’s news will be peppered with 9/11 video & sound clips – as it will (rightfully) be for the next zillion years.

I selfishly wish this could have happened on a different day – but the reality is that something bad happens on everyday in history. Just look at MSN’s Encarta for an example:

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/onthisday.aspx

Hopefully on closer inspection – you'll also notice that great & wonderful things happen on each and every day.

Encarta may never have my personal Anniversary on “This Day in History” – but it’s still one of the most important & happiest days in my life.

Thanks!

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 16:27:20 GMT

Wow in only one month, my weblog has grown to include people outside my circle of clients, family and friends – and more recently linked on the Technorati and Feedster search/rating websites!

I’m glad people appreciate my “CliffsNotes” style of writing. I too hate reading longwinded articles, only to be told ONE tiny piece of information!

I’ll be taking some time-off at the HPOE – so I’ll be back in a few days! ºoº

First Blog

Wed, 10 Aug 2005 04:23:55 GMT

It's the year 2005 and this is MY first blog entry!

I have no idea what this will be about -- but no doubt: Microsoft, computers, food, jazz, parenting and Disney (not necessarily in that order).