Portable computers like the MacBook and MacBook Pro get more popular every day. In addition to being powerful and flexible tools, they're nice looking machines. When you travel frequently with your machine, though, keeping it spiffy can be a problem.

WIth that in mind, I recommend three accessories for your MacBook/MacBook Pro to help keep it looking good.

Did you miss the February Office 2007 and Vista information session? Maybe you were able to attend but now have new questions you would like answered. ITS has good news for you……

Due to the number of requests to repeat the February Office 2007 and Vista preview, we would like to invite you to join us for the April Office 2007 and Vista preview.
Drop by to view an online presentation of Vista and Office. Learn about the new features of all the Office applications and about One Note, a new addition to the Office family. Sit down at a computer running Vista and Office to get a first-hand look at the new user interface, features, and security enhancements. ITS staff will be available to answer your questions.

Refreshments will be served.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sprinkle Room, Campus Center

Every second Tuesday Microsoft releases patches for the Windows OS and related software.
This second Tuesday of April Microsoft released 6 patches.

5 vulnerabilities were for remote code execution
1 vulnerabilities were for elevation of privilege

ITS has approved these patches to campus. You should update your home computer(s).

The 6 products or components affected are:

Graphical Device Interface (GDI)
Microsoft Content Management Server
Universal Plug and Play
Microsoft Agent
Windows Client/Server Run-Time Subsystem (CSRSS)
Windows Kernel

Part of our summer will be spent updating computer classrooms and labs to meet academic computing needs for classes next semester. To accomplish this goal, we need to hear about your requirements as early as possible in our planning process. If you will use ITS academic computing facilities, services provided by ITS, or ask students to use these services, please be sure to let us know your plans and needs.

Request computing services for fall semester 2007 now. Please submit software requests by May 18 and other requests by August 24.

Apple, Inc. announced late yesterday their plan to delay the release of the next version of Mac OS X until October, 2007. The company cited the need to devote software engineering resources to the new iPhone.

Apple's official statement, and ITS' take on the implications for Davidson, after the jump.

Apple's Bluetooth wireless keyboard and Might Mouse are great accessories, ridding your desk of wires and freeing you to rearrange your desktop as you like. Unfortunately, they also eat batteries. Worse, if you don't pay close attention to your menu bar or go through an annoying series of clicks and windows to check their battery level, they'll drop dead unexpectedly.

To help avert that annoyance, Jack Starmer has put together a quick, clean and simple battery monitor widget called Mighty Monitor. Once it's installed, it makes monitoring your wireless accessory batteries as simple as pressing F12. To get it, follow the link, scroll down to the Download link, double-click the download zip file, and then double-click the unzipped widget to install it. Handy!

The end of the semester is quickly approaching and you might be wondering when various facilities will be closing.

Public Labs

The Student Computing Center and the Tomlinson Lab will be open 24/7 until May 16 at 5:00 PM, at which time they will close for the semester. Please remove all of your personal items from the labs prior to this date and time.

The ITS lab in the Library will be open according to the Library schedule.

The Union lab will be open whenever the Union is open.

The Windows Computer Classroom (CHA 3130) will be open extended hours from April 30-May 9 (open from 6:00 PM - 8:00 AM on weekdays and 24 hours on the weekend). It will be open regular hours (6:00 PM - 1:00 AM) on May 10, Reading Day. When finals begin, the lab will continue to be open regular hours on weekdays until May 15, but know that exams will be given in the facility during the day. On Saturday, May 12, the lab will be closed because final exams will be given in the facility. On Sunday, May 13, the lab will be open 6:00 PM - 1:00 AM. The lab will officially close for the semester on May 16 at 5:00 PM.

Please note that student staffing will be inconsistent, so if you find that the printers need supplies or there are other problems with the lab or the equipment, please email the ITS Help Desk.

The ResNet Office

The ResNet office will be open until May 9 after which time it will close for the semester. After May 9, ResNet email and voicemail will be checked by ITS professional staff, but only emergencies will be dealt with. If you have an emergency, please make that clear in your message and state the nature of the emergency.

Very possibly, yes. Entourage, Address Book and iCal are all compatible with Apple's built-in iSync technology. All that remains is to figure out if your phone, PDA or other external device is also recognized by iSync. Luckily, Apple keeps a list of compatible devices!

They also have a comprehensive list of help articles for connecting particular devices to your Mac. With iSync and your mobile device, your data can go everywhere you go.

The Ingeniux CMS software will be upgraded on Tuesday, May 1. The CMS be unavailable from 5:00 am to 7:30 am. As always, please remember to close out of the CMS client at the end of your day.

ITS is conducting an online survey of the new computers and dual-boot configurations in the LRC. Dual boot allows you to choose to work in either Windows XP or Mac OS X from the same machine. Restarting any of the computers in the LRC while holding down the option key lets you select your preference for Windows or Mac. The survey includes questions about users' opinions on the new iMac computers and their behaviors with the dual-boot configurations. LRC users will see a pop-up window at login that asks them to take a 2-minute usability survey. This survey will be closed on the last day of this semester. Stay tuned to the blog...we will share the survey results here.