Where is the Tech in Tech for Non-Profits?
Lately it seems to be all administration, marketing, networking and non-tech fluff. Here are some things in the pipeline:

• Ordered a Sony W5 digital camera after enthusiastic recommendations from friends. The camera was about $279, from Amazon. Adding a lens adapter, case and additional memory card brought the total up to about $325. While I keep waiting for prices to go down, it seems that there are “price points” which stay the same, with the capability for the particular price point increasing. The W5 at 5.1 megapixels is the latest but one model. There is a W7 with 7+ megapixels for around $450.
• Am playing with Microsoft Visual Studio Beta 2 development software.
• Got several new books about Microsoft Access, and am finding new things in Access and trying to change my attitude about it. As they say in the introduction of one of the books, “If you are still hitting the wall on Access, you just don’t understand it.” Well, fair enough. But one of the absolutely maddening things about Access 2003 is the new improved (ha hah) security, which puts up two or three dire warning messages before allowing you to open a file. Add this to the FBI warnings in front of a DVD movies and the legal disclaimers turning up everywhere, and now the cover-your-ass mentality is extending to Access files that you create yourself. (?)
• Bought an additional hard drive and a floppy to be able to install Windows XP on the Pundit home-built computer. This ought to provide hours of amusement. I want to try using this machine for prototyping a videoconferencing unit using Windows XP embedded as the operating system, mostly because I can’t find Linux drivers for the Logitech Orbit camera.
• We’re now into a third week of our second videoconferencing trial, with 10 participants in the field connecting to Codian and Polycom multi-point control units, using D-Link DVC-1000 or DVC-1100 video units connected to their TVs. The DVC1100, wireless units still appear to be giving trouble, and we are at the point of converting all our wireless units back to hard-wired.

Add the above to work on a Phase II SBIR grant, and an application to our local technology incubator, we’re running as fast as we can!