Universal design is a way to make the American home more accessible for people with mobility issues.

As society develops a greater awareness of the challenges for disabled persons, many subtle changes have occurred in our daily lives to make everyday activities more accessible for everyone. Businesses have ramps at entryways, restrooms are equipped with automated doors and stores make isles wide enough to accommodate persons in wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

The Outlook TV show is learning more about how universal design features are being incorporated into the American home as the next logical step to accommodate people with all levels of mobility.

Architects and interior designers are working to make homes accessible for everyone. By utilizing wider doorways and access points, the American homes being built today are ready to be inhabited by people with mobility issues.

Outlook PBS has learned that other subtle changes to the home are also making the home easier to navigate and operate. Light switches located lower on the wall are reachable to persons in wheelchairs and bathrooms include non-slip floors and fixtures that are easier to operate.

The TV program found that the kitchen is an area that has seen many modifications. Stoves that are designed like a desktop allow a chef in a wheelchair the ability to cook from a sitting position. Cabinet handles are designed to allow people with motor skill issues the ability to open them and countertops are closer to the ground to accommodate a person in a mobility device.

Outlook public television is continuing to keep track of how society is becoming more accessible to all people. By paying attention to small details designers are making the American as enjoyable and accessible for persons with mobility issues as it is for people without physical disabilities.

Now this is great when you have consistent rules for the Contacts you want to sync, like if they all have the same Parent Account, or all live in Georgia. However, this doesn’t solve the problem when you want to sync arbitrary Contacts that may not have any common rule set or theme.  To resolve this, we can turn to Connections.  Connections in CRM 2011 allow a User to link almost any entity in CRM to almost any other.  This is great from a relationship and opportunity pursuit perspective, of course but it also gives us a lead in to make our own rules to sync Contacts to Outlook.

First, we need to make a Contact Role to specify that this is a special Connection. In CRM, navigate to Settings -> Business Management -> Connection Roles and click New.

In the Connection Role, name it something like Outlook Sync, and change its Category to Other. Finally, select on the record type of User.  These settings will ensure that it doesn’t make the CRM Connections busier then it has to be.

Save and Close and our new Role is ready!

Now, we need to set up the Outlook Filter in the CRM Plugin.

First, in Outlook (I’m using Outlook 2010 in this example, your Outlook navigation might be slightly different) navigate to File -> CRM -> Synchronize -> Outlook Filters.

Now we’re back to the filter area in the first screenshot again.  Click New and make a new Contact Filter.

For this filter, we need to set “Look For” to Contacts.  Then, in the Select area below, we’re going scroll all the way to the bottom of the Contact Attribute list and look for Connections (Connected From).  Then, below the line that gets created, select Connected To -> Equals Current User.  Then Select a new line and select Role (To) Equals Outlook Sync (or whatever you named your role).  Save As and name this rule something like Connection Sync.  When you’re done, it should look like this:

Now close this window, click OK on the Filter Outlook window, and your sync is set up!

To test it, select a Contact you don’t own in CRM, and click the Connect -> To Me button.   (this also works on an open Contact, not just the list view)

Then just choose your correct Role, then Save and Close.  The next time Outlook and CRM sync, you will see that contact in your Outlook contacts list.

So that’s it, you now have a fully supported way to sync any contact you can access in CRM right to Outlook!  Since CRM 4.0 doesn’t have the concept of Connections, the solution is a bit different.  I’ll cover in detail how to make this same concept work in CRM 4.0, also without having to use any code.

One last note: while it’s beyond the scope of my post, here’s a link to how to manage user filters administratively. So if you’re setting up a large CRM deployment and want to make the filter we made above a default filter for all users, now you can!

A *palindrome reads the same backwards as forward  Make sure you read as well as listen…forward and backwards.

The video was submitted in a contest by a 20yr old.  The contest was titled “U @ 50″ by the AARP, when the video was shown, the whole room was awe-struck. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA  I hope you enjoy it too!

Microsoft is rolling out Google Talk integration to its online email service Outlook, which is something that could tempt Gmail users try out the less popular competing service.

Microsoft, which owns its own chat service by way of its Skype purchase, is using Google’s public API to include Google Talk integration on Outlook.com. The timing is interesting as we expect Google to announce its new messaging service at Google I/O this week.

The company just wrapped up a major overhaul of its email service rebranding Hotmail and Live accounts to its Outlook brand. Outlook is notable for its Windows 8 Metro style user interface.

The new chat feature will be available across a number of Outlook.com-related products, including your inbox, calendar, address book and SkyDrive, so you can chat with your friends on Google while working on a document, for example.

As Microsoft’s senior product manager for Outlook.com Dharmesh Mehta told me yesterday, Microsoft heard from its users that chat interoperability was “one of the things that was holding people back from switching from Gmail to Outlook.com.” Many of those users who did switch, he added, said that this was a feature “they missed after the switch.”

To enable Google chat in Outlook.com, users simply have to connect their accounts using Google’s standard OAuth system to give Microsoft access to their accounts. After that, they can start new chats by hovering over a Gmail user’s contact cord or right from the standard chat pane.

One thing that doesn’t currently work, though, is to start group chats that include Gmail and Facebook users. Mehta left open the possibility that Microsoft would enable this in the future, but for now, the team hasn’t built the pieces that would allow Microsoft to pass messages between the networks.

Google is widely expected to launch updates to its own text, audio and video chat features at I/O later this week. It’s unlikely, however, that these will have any influence on the new features Microsoft announced today.

Written by Tom

Head Editor

Microsoft has recently introduced some new security features to protect their users’ privacy.

Microsoft has released a new TV commercial to tell people all about these features, and to promote their online services, such as Skype and Outlook.

The features help protect Internet Explorer users with Tracking Protection. This should also promote Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 8, as well as Internet Explorer 9 for Vista and 7.

What do you think about these new security features? Let us know by commenting on this post.

Enjoy Blogging,

Tom (Head Editor)

The EUR fell victim to the USD at the end of last week and is once again trading below 1.3, despite reassuring news over the weekend from the G7 that currency manipulation would be avoided. Later this week, the ECB will disclose greater information concerning European economic figures as an indication as to whether the governing council have further scope for a rate cut at June’s meeting. Furthermore, positive German CPI data tomorrow could assist the single currency to climb following its sizeable downside in recent days.

USD strength prevails and a strong bearish sentiment for the cable remains in check, as the pair fell an additional 100 pips during today’s trade following its 200 pip slide on Thursday and Friday. GBP support can be found at 1.5221, but a high risk event looms for the pair as the BoE will reveal the UK’s final inflation report on Wednesday morning. Expectations are that the May inflation report could show a reduction of inflation forecasts from February due to the low price of oil and growth may also be revised higher. Such a positive report could well be priced in by Wednesday, supporting GBP/USD. However, the latest UK unemployment report due just 1 hour before the inflation report could ruin the chance of any later positive reaction for the cable.

I know I’ve been rather preachy and pessimistic lately, (believe me I can’t even stand it.) It’s just that I’ve been so absorbed in some recent changes and some internal decisions that needed to be made had it all had me a bit flustered. However I am happy to say that as of today, it is a new day. I’m starting fresh. I’m going to work on forgiving myself and my past mistakes that I was holding on to. Moving forward I’m going to do things for me, not the approval or respect or appreciation of others. I’m going to run because I want to. I’m going to run how I want, when I want, and return it to a place where I can enjoy it. The same with my music. I’m going to DJ and have fun with my music on my time. I’m going to look into new equipment and try some exiting new techniques. No one’s approval except my own. It’s crazy the pressure we put upon ourselves for others approval; a partners, our peers, our co-workers, our family. Then at the end of the day we wonder why we’re disappointed, depressed, and angry. Did we take a moment and say “this, this here is for you (One’s self) and that’s all.” I don’t care what everyone else thinks, wants, or knows this truly and genuinely makes me happy. I’m actually kind of excited. I realize this is one of those “Journey not a destination..” things but my bags are packed and I’m ready to go. First stop City Sports I’m buying my Gawd Damn new running shoes!!! Haha. I’ll keep you all posted. Oh and my last blog post….it’s not going to be continued…. It ends there! Moving on…..

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Relationships: I definitely have met my fair share of negative men. I’ve had players, liars, manipulators and unreliable guys. If a guy isn’t making you a priority, isn’t following through with things you both have planned or just isn’t making time for you in his life, it’s time to say goodbye. Don’t waste your time on a guy (or girl), if they aren’t willing to waste their time on you. In the end you will be wasting energy you could have used elsewhere.

Work: I used to work with a girl, who used to suck all of the positivity energy out of not only me but also the office with her antics. She would constantly talk over the top of everyone and try and sabotage everyone. How you ask? As a health obsessed freak, she would make recommendations to the girls on the office on what to eat. Turns out all of it was really bad for you. She would make smart remarks on what we were eating and purposely make us feel uncomfortable. She would also constantly lie about whom she was dating (numerous c-grade celebrities who she twitter stalked and ‘bumped’ into). We would then hear her constantly bag out her friends and then be nice to their faces. As soon as I quit that job, I cut her out of my life and haven’t looked back. If someone is bagging out their friends to you, more than likely they’re bagging you out too.

Social groups: I had two girlfriends from high school that I remained friends with after school. Within the last two years I removed both these girls from my life. Yes it has made social situations awkward, but I had to do what is best for my own happiness. Girl number one loved to be the centre of attention. Everything always had to be about her. As soon as she got a boyfriend, she ditched everyone for two years and within those two years I only heard from her twice. The first time asking if she could stay at my place, the second time asking for a lift somewhere. Friend number two constantly lied all the time, her now ex-husband and I were always saving her when her lies caught up to her. She would reveal personal secrets about friends too, to anyone who would listen. When she lied to me on my birthday saying she had a sore shoulder, when she was actually off having some ‘fun with her ex-husbands friend for the night, I cut her off.

So if you have negative people in your life, that you don’t have to have in your life, it is time to remove them. You will feel lighter and brighter. You don’t need negative people weighing you down and dulling your spark. Life is about surrounding yourself with people who makes you a better version of yourself. At the end of the day I would rather a small group of positive friends, rather than a lot of fake friends.

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‘Tick-tock’- the hands of the clock cruelly sound

Like a blade held against the whetting stone

Each second seems some new spark now rising,

Vaguely phosphorescent, disappearing

Like souls passing into infinity

Striking the hearthstone, then- into nothing

Streetside the scarlet-colored cyclamens

Sway with the weight of the wind’s warm whispers

While the slow fall of the night’s first fireflies

So strangely flickers in the vast expanse

Of the ever-darkening western sky,

Flitting like your recently struck match heads,

Blooming, instantaneously beyond

The pale recognition of their blossoms-

Those freshly plucked petals, faintly falling,

Lingering like fingers of heat lightning

Surrounding you in a velveteen gale

Darkness creeps in like a quiet lover

To brush away the pale blush of blue sky,

The delicate cobwebs of the last clouds-

White fluff, intricately woven with jewels,

Where each star hangs like a frail drop of dew

Encroaching night whispers a wine-dark flush

Along the expanse of the horizon,

Kisses the day into unconsciousness

(All is enveloped in this quietness

While we hold our breath for the moon to rise)

                              II

I get so god-damned depressed when I drink

That sometimes I could just drop dead, except

There is something hidden in your sly smile

And the way you dance makes me feel relieved

Just to know you are breathing I suppose

(Although a hundred pairs of hungry eyes-

Lights dimmed by the virtue of drunkenness-

Stare straight through me to steal a glimpse of you,

To somehow satiate their cold desires)

And there are of course your glimmering eyes,

Glinting with the mischievousness of drink

Your body sways like the hypnotists chain

So I stand transfixed, tapping out the beat

With my free hand as the band rambles on

(The other is still tight against your hip-

Two fingers through the belt loop of your jeans)

As I watch you sip your whiskey and coke

And smoke cigarette after cigarette,

The blue haze of your exhalations hangs

In relief against the late-summer sky,

Each breath falling like boats in a harbor

Rising again with each whim of the waves

Ebbing to and fro amidst the moonlight

Floating me headlong into elation

(My heart swells up like a birthday balloon)

(This somnambulist strains his tired eyes,

Opening them like a revelation:

I know that I shall spend my future days

Waiting to climb into bed beside you

Dreaming only of the way you would kiss)

The Outlook, Monmouth University’s student-run newspaper, has been awarded “Best University Newspaper,” in addition to first place with special merit, by the American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) for the second time in the past four years.

The ASPA holds an annual contest/review for scholastic yearbooks, magazines, and newspapers. “Honestly, I think we set the bar across the board; from copy, to design, to ads, to the website, at a pretty high level,” said Outlook faculty advisor John Morano. He has been the advisor of the paper for over 20 years. The categories the paper was scored included page design, art, advertising, editing. The Outlook scored a total of 955 out of 1,000 points, with perfect scores in content coverage, illustration, and creativity. “We try not to be satisfied with `good enough,” Morano said. “It’s an honor to work with the students at the paper. I’m their biggest fan, and their biggest critic,” he said.

University President Paul Gaffney II expressed why he believes The Outlook is consistently among the top college newspapers year after year. “It sets us apart as a serious paper that looks like a real paper and seriously covers news like a real paper.” He continued, “It is hard to have the time, as full-time students, to thoroughly research complicated issues. Yet, The Outlook takes on the challenge.” Gaffney said he likes to read the editorial page and the sports coverage, he said he is a fan of reading student achievement articles. “I like seeing The Outlook around campus, especially when we are trying to recruit new students,” said Gaffney, “[It’s a] great example of student involvement and success.

“It’s a bit of an unreal feeling. I never would have expected coming in fresh in my first year to winning an award of this caliber,” said Brett Bodner, Editor-in-Chief.  He has been on staff at The Outlook since he was a freshman.

Previously, Bodner served as the Managing Editor for two years under Gina Columbus, and took over the position as Editor-in-Chief after she graduated. “I learned a lot [from previous EIC’s],” said Bodner.  “I learned what to do and what not to do.” Bodner said he has come a long way in his year as Editor-in-Chief. He said he felt adequately prepared at the beginning of his term in terms of layout, copyediting and page design but had to deal with some obstacles along the way.  One problem he had to overcome was learning how to manage 12 editors and their writers.  “It’s managing your friendships while getting work done at the same time. It was a big challenge for me,” he said. “But the perks of having your friends on staff are that they will do whatever they can to help you because you are friends with them. And you, in return, would do the same because you care about them.”

Bodner is proud of the achievement, but credits others for their help. “I couldn’t have done this without my staff,” said Bodner. “I have a really good staff that has backed me for my entire [reign].”

“Great students in a good environment will do wonderful things,” said Morano. “A very skilled office manager, experienced graduate assistants, faculty and administration who make themselves available as sources and so many others all contribute to the paper’s efforts.”

Bodner has served one year as Editor-in-Chief and it set to graduate in May.  Taking over the position is junior Jacklyn Kouefati, who served as Managing Editor this past year. Bodner said he hopes that The Outlook staff continues to produce quality work. “It’s been a great year, and hopefully this can be a tradition to carry on to the future after I graduate,” said Bodner.

Unconditional Love

 

(click image to view larger)

A love that transcends all boundaries of time, place and action. This is the first picture of me and my mother. All that I will ever be or possess, I owe to her. She taught, by example, that unconditional love will train you to care for others more than you care for yourself; a valuable lesson that all would desire and few would ever experience.

There were no boundaries to her love. I tested that construct on multiple occasions. She would gently tell me, “there will be actions I cannot condone, but you will always be my daughter and I will always love you”. Knowledge of her unconditional love has given me the strength to overcome barriers and accomplish more that I felt possible. I could try anything knowing that she was merely a phone call away.

 

Just for today – be an example of unconditional love

It would be nice to have a little more control over making things better.  One book I read which gave me a few useful clues, is the Dalai Lama’s ‘Art of happiness.’  The Dalai Lama warns against depending on relationships and possessions for our happiness, while acknowledging that they are of course important to us all.  True happiness, he says, is within us – a state of mind.  This is not a particularly new philosophy – yet many of us find it hard to put into practice.  Let’s face it, relationships and possessions can be incredibly powerful influences in our lives. They can be wonderful, but they can also lead us up the garden path.

That said, I’ve also found that these things have a lot less power over me when I am happy in my own skin, and contented within myself.  Relationships are better and stronger when there is no unhealthy dependency involved; possessions give lots of pleasure, but pleasure is not the same as happiness.  Pleasure is temporary and transitory, whereas happiness is a more permanent state. So reaching a state of mind which allows possessions to give pleasure, without being absolutely necessary for one’s happiness, is the goal to aim for. Has anyone ever had a good clear-out, and given lots of things to charity shops? Whenever I’ve done this, I’ve felt liberated and unburdened. So I think the Dalai Lama might be on to something.

me, spaced. slightly.

The last several weeks have been a mess. The chosen image today I think best sums up how the brain has felt. The brain and the inner selves, all of whom have in one way or another freaked out. Big time.

I’m pretty sure during this period I’ve stressed enough to last most people a lifetime. But for me, it’s just been even more stress than the usual amount. (Yes, the let’s stress over everything default setting me and the inner selves have yet to figure out how best to cease entirely. Or at least reduce to manageable levels, anyway.)

I’m pretty sure I’ve set a new record for lack of sleep too – which says a lot given my usual sleep patterns, which are rubbish without aid of drugs (of the prescribed variety) and vodka.

I’ve probably covered more miles to and from and around London than I did the 10 years or so I originally lived there, and have through the aforementioned stress vs low sleep plus other many neuroses managed to devour a somewhat crazy amount of chocolate, chips, burgers (McD’s, KFC and Burger King – not one to favour one burger joint over another, mostly because burger = good in my belly regardless of origin) and generally anything else I could get my ever increasing chubby fingers on to. Ala Bridget Jones’s diary style, as a case in point, here’s yesterdays bounty:

0 cigarettes (despite an intense urge)
2 cheese rolls with ham salad (drenched in ketchup, very heavy on the ham, very light on the salad, extra cheese)
10 Oreo’s (double chocolate, dunked in strong coffee)
4 bags of Walker’s Deep Ridge Potato Chips (2xSalt n Vinegar,2x Cheese n Onion, very nice indeed but a little rough on the mouth with all the deep edges)
1 Reese’s Pieces bag (and no sign of E.T when I left a few along the floor, so I ate them myself, eventually)
1 Mars Bar (okay, two)
1 Vodka and Coke Zero (very, very, heavy on the vodka, very light on the zero)
8 Coffees with sugars and creamer (give or take 2. or 3. 4 maybe.)
1 large Spicy Pasta prick ‘n ping meal (very heavy on the cheese and other assorted utter rubbish too, no doubt)
1 Tomato and Cucumber Salad (heavy on the tomato and Balsamic dressing)
1 almost cracked open Pringles Sour Cream and Onion, but I managed to refrain. Just…

And all self induced. All because I had that idea to move – which I’ve blogged about already, I’m sure you’ve noticed – and the reality thereof didn’t match the somewhat mad this will be a breeze take of the original idea.

It wasn’t.

At all.

It sucked. The proverbial big one. With hairs on it. And a strange smell.

So it’s now done. Or more correctly, undone. It’s been relegated to the idea’s now on hold, permanently bin. Along with the related additional stress. It seems to have made a little positive impact too already – I slept till 9:45am today. A first in months.

I shall wait till my name appears first on the waiting list I’m on for a place in East London, and then will complete the move.

In the interim, I need to take some good from the whole experience. Somehow. Very new territory for me, looking for a plus. Perhaps need to find again those things about this little town of mine that got me here initially and that I seemed to have lost along the way.

Along with some of me, I think too. Yeah, sorry about the mess by the way. I noticed when shaving the other night – I hate shaving and do so only when the itchy “beard” becomes too much to stand – and I realised how little attention I actually pay to myself anymore, let alone this town. Maybe they go hand in hand?

So I’m going to take the move fund, save half (for the next move) and use the remaining half to treat myself.

A new camera, maybe, with which to venture out and take a different view on my town.

New glasses to help me see better and perhaps make me appreciate this face a little more, especially as now I’ve need to wear them from the time I open my eyes till the time I go to bed. The vision without them is a little off now. Joys of age, sheesh. BUT they do mean the black rings / bags under the eyes are hidden, so not all bad. (Holy crap, did you see that? I viewed another positive for once? Most unlike me. I must be getting ill. Or is it the sugar rush, again?)

New clothes too, to hide / work with the belly and weird middle aged man shape I’m in, while also taking a serious review of the diet.

Once I’ve emptied the contents of the kitchen first. I’m not one to throw money away, so the Pringles, Mars Bars and Oreo’s in stock shall be devoured first. With a little guilt, yes, but then I will try restore the balance between utter crap food and food that’s good and is polite to the belly too, most of all.

So who knows, maybe the outcome of the original idea didn’t lead to what I wanted, but perhaps the subsequent outcome isn’t all bad either? But for now, time for a couple DVDs and a lazy afternoon…

İ don’t know which one is more entertaining.. the gorgeous dip-dye hair or the tee. what do you think?