Archive
I finally got my patent!
Suppose you are in a cafe and of course you have a laptop with you. All of the sudden, a little box pops up and says “Brian Groth is nearby and you have a meeting next week. Click here to see more details.”
Microsoft and I recently got patent number 455041200 that explains how this works. It is titled “Automatic Detection and Notification of Proximity of Persons of Interest”
It took a few years to get through the USPO and I am not able to find it via the USPO web site, but it can be found via Google’s Patent Search site.
Thanks to Shish letting me know that it was finally approved. Good luck on your patent Shish!
Please start sharing your photos and stories
Hi everyone, Brian here. If you have been enjoying my photos and stories that I publish here, then I ask that you (my friends and family) start doing the same. It’s easy and fun:
Go to http://get.live.com/ and download everything (in one install). This will give you:
- Windows Live Photo Gallery to edit, create panoramic photos, and post your photos to Spaces photo albums (like I have on my site here)
- Windows Live Writer to write blogs like I have been doing here, complete with photos, videos, maps, and lots more.
- Windows Live Messenger to chat with me via text, voice, and video (full screen too!). We can also play games and other fun things with it.
- Windows Live Mail to create great Photo E-mails so you don’t have to send e-mails with a bunch of attachments. You can also work on your Hotmail when you aren’t connected to the Internet.
- Windows Live Toolbar which gives you quick links to Hotmail, Spaces, and Messenger, plus news, weather, and other items
- OneCare Family Safety Settings so you can let your kids use Messenger, Hotmail, but only with people you approve. It also lets you control the web sites they can see.
- And of course, all of these things work great with the Windows Live sites:
- Windows Live Spaces to share photos and experiences like I do here
- Windows Live Hotmail to get your e-mail anywhere – plus the spam problem is much better now too
- Windows Live Events to organize events with friends and family, then share photos and stories about them after the event
Yes, this is the stuff I work on at Microsoft and we just released new versions today. You can read more about them on the Windows Live Wire blog.
Wish I had this in school: Microsoft Math
| I guess I am old enough that I can now say that "I wish I had this when I was in school." I just realized Microsoft has a product for students called Microsoft Math. It has tools (like what I have pictured here), tutorials, and instructions.
And here I thought I was doing good with some fancy formulas in Excel. I am off to Madrid, Brussels, and Milan over the next week and a half, so I promise to post a few more interesting things…. assuming you don’t find math tools interesting. |
The Adventures of Lorie and Brian Groth 