May 2008
In this issue

√ Think Before You
     Print
√ Flat-Panel Monitors
√ FileMaker Pro 9
√ Extend Battery Life
√ Employee Spotlight
 

Think Before You Print
by Jane Cage, COO, HTS

Here at the office I refer to myself as the "Anti-Paper" . . . It drives me crazy when I see the amount of information everyone sends to the printer when that same information is available on the screen. It seems like we can’t get past the perception that we have to hold paper in our hand to be certain an item is real - or on the chance we will ever need it again.

There are three problems with relying on paper. First, there is no fault tolerance for paper, except another piece of paper - ironic, isn’t it? Second - paper can only be in one physical location. Both of us can’t look at the client invoice at the same time. How many times have you looked for information to find out it was on someone else's desk? Third - paper can only be filed one way; and therefore only retrieved in the way it was filed. That kind of limitation has real effects on how well a company can function - should invoices be filed by number or by client? Should they be filed by date for easier removal to an off-site location?

But current technologies give us many great alternatives to printing to paper - some of which you probably have right on your own computer. Microsoft One Note 2007 has a built-in printer driver installed that allows you to send anything you would send to a printer into One-Note for future retrieval and use. I’ve found it to be invaluable for copies of contracts, statements, even order confirmations that before I would have sent to the printer. Microsoft SharePoint is another great alternative you may already have on your network. Rather than printing copies for every member of your team, why not post the document to SharePoint for everyone to access? We stopped printing phone lists for distribution long ago. It was so much easier to post changes and find the latest copy on the SharePoint site. If you own a copy of Adobe Acrobat writer, why not use it to file away information you may need to recall at a later date?

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1. You'll save some desk real estate. The most obvious advantage of the flat-panel display is its size, or lack thereof. CRT monitors are big, honking things. Their cabinets are about 20 inches deep. They work, but they're passE. All of the work in a flat-panel monitor is done behind its thin screen by liquid crystals and millions of transistors. So the flat panel doesn't need a long case. If you are stretched for real estate on your desk, the small footprint is very enticing. It's not just space savings for your computer desk. Some flat panels can do double duty as a television.

To watch TV, you just hit a button on the flat panel or use the included hand-held remote control. You'll pay extra for this feature. But if your living quarters are cramped, one monitor lets you check e-mail as well as watch your favorite sit-com, if you're so inclined. Sure, you can watch TV on your computer using a CRT. If you don't have one already, you'll need to install a TV tuner video card. But the picture quality isn't as good, and who needs the hassle of booting up your PC to watch TV when there is a more convenient alternative?

You'll also find flat-panel monitors that have built-in USB ports. This is especially handy if your computer (like mine) has all four USB ports in the back of the machine. No longer do you need to pull the computer out from behind the desk to simply download pictures from your digital camera. You just plug the camera into one of the flat screen's USB ports and you're good to go.

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