I’ve removed all unnecessary programs (including Diskeeper Lite), have patched Windows XP and upgraded all drivers, and I even upgraded to IE 7, but the touchpad still hangs for a few seconds.

The problem is definitely software related since it doesn’t occur in Safe Mode, and it doesn’t occur in Firefox (my preferred browser anyway). But it does occur even when an external mouse is attached. Because there’s no replacement for Explorer itself, moreover, it makes file management go slower. Every time a user opens a new folder in My Computer or Explorer, the cursor freezes for a few seconds.

I saw one other post on this, in Notebook Forums, but no reply was posted. I guess I’m going to have to contact Lenovo or return three otherwise great laptops.

Now if you know anything about RDC, you know that remote users can enable an option that connects their local disk drives when they remote into the TS, and they need to do that if they plan to do any file transfers between host server and remote computer so they can work offline. When that feature is enabled, TS shows the client drives at the bottom of a My Computer window and lists them as “C on RemotePCName” where “RemotePCName” is the actual name of the computer the user is logging in from. That is, if I’m using a computer called “Home Machine,” my local harddrive should be listed as “C on Home Machine.”

Other users logged into the Terminal Server at the same time would see their local drives listed with the names of their own home computers. At least, that’s how it should work.

However, when the Mac user logs into the TS with his Mac, his Mac’s computer name hijacks the system so that everyone’s local drives are listed as “C on MacMachine” where “MacMachine” is the name of the Mac user’s home computer. The system still correctly maps to each user’s local drives; it’s just the name that’s wrong. So the error isn’t a big deal, but it is confusing to remote users (many of whom aren’t particularly saavy about file management anyway).

The only “fix” I’ve found is simply to reboot the Terminal Server, which works fine until the Mac user logs in again. I also can’t tell if the problem occurs only when he Disconnects from RDC instead of Logging Off his session (the recommended procedure).

Even though the problem is being caused by a Mac, the client is provided by Microsoft, so it’s their issue. I’ve Googled the problem, but haven’t found anything, partly because it’s a difficult issue to describe. But if you’ve run across this and especially if you’ve found a permanent fix, please comment.

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It’s the function that interprets graphical marks as letters forming words. Of course, that recognition is seldom 100% perfect, but it’s getting better. What you will want is an application that will run the OCR function in the background and then append the recognized text to the PDF image to create one searchable file.

Several OCR softwares are available, including OmniPage, Readiris, Presto, and Microsoft Office Document Imaging. What you will want to do is implement a solution that you can use in conjunction with your high-volume copier/scanners.

I’ll be writing more on this topic soon. Really, the point of this entry is to alert you to the fact that not all PDF files are the same: some are searchable and some aren’t. If you want the searchable kind (recommended for a paperless office), you’ll need OCR software to get it.

Sawyer and Chang criticized YouTube for not self-policing its content and for instead leaving this function up to the public. In other words, the community could not be trusted with the responsibility of helping to block videos that might compel teens to do stupid and dangerous acts just to get their “15 megabytes of fame.”

I’m going to be honest and tell you I’m a fan of GMA. I genuinely enjoy watching Diane Sawyer and the GMA team and generally find them to be entertaining and at least relatively balanced. But on this occasion, Sawyer and Chang’s position was problematic on so many levels. First, how hypocritical! As a press organization, ABC News, which owns and operates GMA and 20/20, presumably supports free speech. Apparently this civil liberty doesn’t extend to the younger members of our society. Moreover, ABC thinks little about promoting responsibility and accountability, and certainly doesn’t hesitate to televise the same “dangerous” YouTube videos to puff up ratings for GMA and to plug its “in-depth coverage of this ‘news’ story” on 20/20.

Sawyer and Chang were wrong to criticize YouTube. YouTube’s policy of having its members flag dangerous or offensive videos is a far more democratic way to balance free speech and community safety. It puts the responsibility on the consumers and the video posters where it belongs.

A better alternative during GMA’s coverage would have been for Sawyer and Chang to criticize the kids themselves and their inane willingness to risk hurting themselves for a little YouTube fame. As a society, we continue to shift responsibility away from the person doing the act — especially when it’s a young person — whether the act is posting the video or consuming it. We ignore that young kids aren’t mindless. They make judgment calls and sometimes they use poor judgment. Why not point that out? Why not hold them accountable? Nothing makes kids more self-conscious than looking stupid; and frankly, watching a teenage boy hurl himself towards a fence and catch a board in his crotch looks really stupid — and painful. Yeah, real cool, dude.

YouTube, MySpace and other web 2.0 communities continually urge their members to flag questionable content. That’s an excellent way for communities to operate. It parses out the responsibility of maintaining a healthy community to all the individual members. No one person, and certainly no corporation, can be expected or trusted to maintain a community standard. That’s not democratic, feasible or socially responsible. At some point consumers, even young ones, have to decide not to consume garbage.

Part of being a member of a democratic society and a web 2.0 community is acknowledging that it really does take a village. But don’t expect media conglomerates to stop showing this garbage when it suits them. Showing these videos on network television under the guise of criticizing YouTube and the kids in the videos is hypocritical and socially irresponsible. It extends the audience for the videos just to garner better ratings for ABC, no matter how much Sawyer and Chang criticize those dumb kids for their dumb stunts. After all, you don’t really think the kids in the videos called up their friends after watching these ABC reports and said, “Boy am I embarrassed.” More likely they called everyone they knew and said, “Dude, I’m on national television!”

In some instances, however, you’ve already made the important legal decision (about starting a business, protecting your intellectual property, filing for bankruptcy, writing a will), and you just need a little help on procedures. NOLO.com can guide you to the right procedures and the right forms, even simplified divorces (no children and little property). NOLO is an excellent resource for forms and procedures, how-to articles, tips. As one attorney said, if you feel insecure or are in a specific or complex situation, seek counsel. Another approach is to review the NOLO resources with the confidence that you can figure it out, and if you can’t, see a lawyer. Excellent advice!

In addition to forms and procedures, NOLO.Com provides a helpful newsletter and frequent podcasts by attorneys on a number of legal issues. Take a listen to NOLO’s recent estate planning podcast: Do You Need a Will or a Trust? by Attorney Denis Clifford, author of Plan Your Estate. Living Trust is an issue I’ve been exploring now for some time. I may not have much to leave behind, but the possibility of helping my family avoid the costs and complexities of probate is really appealing to me. As for estate taxes, learn from Attorney Clifford that most of us won’t be liable for estate taxes . . . unless we’re millionaires. Really, only about 1% of the U.S. population will have to pay estate taxes (erroneously referred to as “the death tax.”)

Even if you ultimately go to an attorney, it’s best to be as informed as possible so that you know what questions to ask, what forms you might need, and what directions you want to explore with your counsel. It could make a lot difference in your bottom line when you get your attorney’s by-the-hour billing statement. Being informed is not only cost-effective, but improves your ability to effectively communicate with your attorney. That’s always a good thing.

If you have serious legal issues and no money, your area may also provide free legal aid. In South Florida, for example, and in particular in Broward or Collier counties, definitely visit LegalAid.Org, an excellent organization that provides help to indigent people in domestic violence issues, restraining orders, AIDS/HIV programs, tenant actions, certain immigration issues and more. If you’re outside Broward and Collier, just do a search for “legal aid” and your city, county or state, or visit Legal Services Corporation’s web site. For free legal aid matters, look especially for a web site name (domain) that ends in “.us,” “.gov,” or “.org” which are more frequently used for U.S. government resource sites and non-profit organizations, respectively.

Do you have similar stories? Well, you can post them at Platewire. Not only will you be able to vent your frustrations by posting, but you’ll also be warning other drivers in the area, and possibly the police. In fact, it probably won’t be long before law enforcement agencies start reviewing Platewire for information on reckless drivers to BOLO (be on the lookout for). Since many cars and drivers routinely travel the same roads, imagine having cops in the area know ahead of time which drivers take unnecessary risks — with your safety and theirs. Think of Platewire as a Citizen’s Watch for public roadways and you’ll get the basic idea. Truly excellent.

Maybe we’ll start seeing other public forums where people can report bad, and potentially dangerous, behavior. The side of me that is anti-Big Brother does cringe a little; but then there’s the other side of me that likes at least the concept of a jury of your peers. Yeah, maybe public forums are the way to go.

You may have heard a lot in the news about how predators misuse MySpace to arrange meetings in the real world with their would-be victims. The danger is real, but in the absence of information about the benefits of socializing in online communities, virtual places like MySpace seem all bad, and that notion is simply skewed. In this, MySpace is like any other place (online or offline); caution and commonsense is needed to travel there safely, and unattended minors are always at risk.

My blog, however, is meant for adults, and more than that: for mature adults who know how to avoid unnecessary risks in deciding what to post online and whether to meet with someone face-to-face offline.

So if you’re an adult, and if you’ve been thinking about joining this online community, you’ll find it relatively easy to do. There’s so much information out there about MySpace, and in particular, on how to customize your member page to achieve the look that’s right for you. Here are the links I found the most helpful for customizing MySpace:

Thomas MySpace Editor
MySpaceMaster.Net
MySpace Gens
My Wacko Space

The MySpace templates are a good starting point, but they can look a little cookie-cutterish, and they’re a bit busy for my taste. The links above helped me make MySpace look more like my space, and they can do the same for you.