Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

  • Arrest the “Reply All” scourge!

    Today, Microsoft Research published an interesting add-in that works with both Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 to help suppress the awful mess that users can get themselves into with the ‘Reply All’ button. As you probably know, “reply all” works by creating a reply addressed to every TO: and CC:…

  • Drowned in the Aviva

    Saturday’s game between Ireland and South Africa marked “Rugby coming home” to the Aviva Stadium, aka Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Of course, the fact that rugby had returned home on July 31 with a special match arranged to launch the stadium had been overlooked by the IRFU marketing department, but that’s…

  • Books and their foreword

    I’m pleased that Rajesh Jha, corporate Vice President for Microsoft Exchange Server, agreed to write the foreword for my Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Inside Out book. The book is also available from Amazon.co.uk and other online and traditional booksellers. I’m pleased to say that the book has now gone to…

  • White van returns to Ireland

    Our journey from Ireland to the South of France and back is now complete. The drive back from the Côte d’Azur was long but passed reasonably well, even if the journey was lengthened somewhat by the need to pass by Nice Airport to drop family members who had chosen to…

  • Thoughts on MyPublisher

    I have used MyPublisher to create photobooks, Christmas cards, and calendars since 2005. I can’t pretend to have done any great research before selecting MyPublisher. The choice came about as a form of blessed serendipity as I read a review of home publishing software in the Wall Street Journal while…

  • White van to the Côte d’Azur

    I am delighted to announce that I have joined the “man with white van” movement after driving a Mercedes Sprinter van from Dublin to the South of France and back. The van was hired from Van Rentals.ie, a company that offers fast and efficient service for Internet bookings and whose…

  • Using the Microsoft Arc Mouse

    My computer mouse has been looking pretty sick recently. It has clearly suffered from the demands of writing – or more accurately, it’s picked up junk from enough hands and surfaces to become grotty. It was time for a change, so I bought a new wireless Microsoft Arc Mouse. I ended…

  • Replacing missing RBAC roles

    There are reported instances where some RBAC roles “disappear” during the upgrade from Exchange 2010 RTM to Exchange 2010 SP1. Normally the symptom of this problem is when a user who is a member of the Organization Management role group (the most powerful of all the RBAC role groups) is…

  • Reflections on Exchange 2010 Maestro training

    Phew! We’re done with the Exchange 2010 Maestro seminar in Anaheim and have come to the end of our mini-series. Paul Robichaux, Brian Desmond, and I are fatigued and worn from the experience but the two seminars have been tremendously rewarding in terms of the passion and knowledge we’ve seen…

  • Exchange 2010 SP1 training in Anaheim

    Our Exchange 2010 Maestro seminar is now two days through in Anaheim, CA. We’re located in the Sheraton right beside Disneyland (its address is 900 South Disneyland Drive). The hotel is significantly better than the Doubletree that we used in Boston last week. The room is bigger and brighter, the…