Bell South not integrated/merged into AT&T yet ! : Despite years of SPAM from AT&T about their referral program, now that I have referred a customer (my cousin in Florida)
who is switching from MCI to AT&T (so she may get dsl); I find I don't get a referral credit or payment, because Bell South territory doesn't count.

I told my cousin that despite what she has been told, she's not getting AT&T service, because Bell
South isn't merged yet. Indeed the AT&T web pages revert to Bell South web pages after she enters her Florida phone number, and she'd get a bellsouth.net email address.

Which company is nicer to its employees?

Apple employees get a FREE iphone. Story here.

AT&T employees can get 10% off an iPhone. Story here.

An excellent recommendation for OS X on the Macintosh: The Houston Chronicle's technology writer wrote an article with all the things he'd recommend you do to make Microsft Windows Vista usable. Read it all and it could be easy to conclude Vista should be avoided.
Story here.

Intuit makes it near impossible to switch from Money: Quicken no longer will import a QIF file for a checking account or a Credit card account, which is how Money still exports data (account by account), and so there's no easy way to move from Money to Quicken. Here are the instructions Quicken gives you:

Convert Your Microsoft Money Data File

The Data Converter converts your data from Microsoft® Money 2003 or later for use in Quicken for Windows version 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. It may also work with other versions of Money. If your version of Money can copy .XML files to your desktop, then the Data Converter will likely convert your data.

To convert your data, you'll create an Account transactions report in Microsoft Money for your standard transactions and an Investment transactions report for your investment transactions. Next you'll import the reports into Quicken and add some information that will help you take advantage of several Quicken features.

Step 1: Download and Install the Data Converter

1. Download the Microsoft Money to Quicken data converter.
2. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen prompts to install the data converter.

Step 2: Start Converting

1. Be sure Quicken 2004 or later and Microsoft Money 2003 or later are both installed on the same computer as the Data Converter.
2. Click the Launch MS Money button.

Step 3: Create an Account Transactions Report

1. Create an account transaction report using the procedure that applies to your version of Microsoft Money.

Microsoft Money 2003 or 2004

1. Select Reports menu > Reports Gallery.
2. In the Pick a report or chart list, select Account Transactions.
3. Click the Go to Report/Chart button.

Microsoft Money 2005 or later

1. Click the Reports tab.
2. In the Income and expenses area, select Account transactions. If the Account transactions report is not in the list, display the advanced reports by selecting Change report settings in the Other tasks list. Select Switch from Essential Reports to Advanced Reports and click Use Advanced Reports to display the Account transaction option.

2. In the Common tasks list, select Customize. If the Reset button is not available, proceed to step 3. Otherwise, click Reset, click Yes if a confirmation message appears, and select Customize again.
3. In the Rows & Columns tab, in the Include fields area, select the Memo, Account, Cleared status, and Category options.
4. In the Subtotal by field, select Accounts.
5. Select the Show splits check box, and then click OK.
6. In the Accounts field, select All Accounts.
7. In the Date range field, select All dates.
8. Select Send to menu > Desktop. This step may take some time, depending on the size of your data file.
9. Click OK when the transfer is complete.

Step 4: Create an Investment Transactions Report

Note: Complete this section only if you have investment transactions to convert.

1. Create an investment transactions report using the procedure that applies to your version of Microsoft Money.

Microsoft Money 2003 or 2004

1. Select Reports menu > Reports Gallery.
2. Click Investments.
3. In the Pick a report or chart list, select Investment Transactions.
4. Click the Go to Report/Chart button.

Microsoft Money 2005 or later

1. Click the Reports tab.
2. In the Investment area, select Investment transactions. If the Investment area doesn't show, display the advanced reports by selecting Change report settingsOther tasks list. Select Switch from Essential Reports to Advanced Reports and click Use Advanced Reports to display the Investment transactions option. in the

2. In the Common tasks list, select Customize. If the Reset button is not available, proceed to step 3. Otherwise, click Reset, click Yes if a confirmation message appears, and select Customize again.
3. Click the Rows & Columns tab, and in the Include fields area, select the Memo, Account, Transfer account, Cleared status, and Category options.
4. In the Group by field, select Investment Types and click OK.
5. In the Accounts field, select All Accounts.
6. In the Date range field, select All dates.
7. Select Send to menu > Desktop. This step may take some time, depending on the size of your data file.
8. Click OK when the transfer is complete.

Step 5: Finish Converting

1. Close Microsoft Money.
2. In the Data Converter dialog, click the Import into Quicken button. Quicken starts when the import is complete.
3. Review your transactions for accuracy.
4. Reconcile your converted data before adding new data (the Data Converter does not retain the reconciliation state of your accounts). For more information, in the Quicken Help menu, select Contents or Quicken Help, click the Index tab, and enter reconciling, accounts.
5. See the Next Steps section for more helpful tips and information.

Next Steps

For security reasons, Intuit recommends that you:

1. Delete the Microsoft Money reports from your desktop by right-clicking the Microsoft Money reports on your desktop and selecting Delete.
2. Empty your recycle bin by double-clicking the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and selecting File > Empty Recycle Bin.
3. Add a file password to your data file by selecting File > Passwords > File, and following the on-screen instructions. Click the Help button for additional assistance.

The Data Converter groups asset and liability accounts with cash flow accounts in the Cash Flow Center. To track these accounts in the Property & Debt Center:

1. Click the account in the Account Bar list on the left to open the account.
2. Click the Overview tab and click the Edit Account Details button.
3. Select Property & Debt: Asset or Property & Debt: Liability in the Account Location list, and click OK.

If you have converted investment data and would like to download current investment quotes needed for accurate current totals, you can manually update the security symbols and run One Step Update.

To update a security symbol:

1. Select Investing > Security List.
2. Select the security you want.
3. Click Edit and enter the symbol in the Symbol field.
4. Click OK.

To run One Step Update:

1. Be sure that your copy of Quicken is registered to run One Step Update.
2. Select Online > One Step Update.
3. Select the Download quotes, asset classes, headlines and alerts option, and click the Update Now button.

The Data Converter does not convert items such as unexercised employee stock option grants (ESOGs), memorized transactions, online account activation information, budgets, classes, loan accounts, planner data, or exchange-traded options. For information about how to add missing information to Quicken manually, see the Read Me file. You can find this file in the Data Converter installation folder or by clicking the Read me.txt file in the Data Converter dialog box.

Note: Your Quicken data file contains the cost basis and price values for the bonds you tracked in Microsoft Money. However, Quicken tracks bonds differently from Microsoft Money. Quicken adjusts the number of shares in the Edit Shares Bought dialog box to reflect the number of bonds you own and the number of shares in the Quicken Transaction List to reflect correct total share information.

Time to switch from Money to Quicken While running my Microsoft Money 2007 today it offers me a discount and a rebate on Money 2008. So I go to the website (Digital River) and download it. This year for the first time Money requires authorization with an arcane long serial number. One problem. Digital River sent me a number in 5 character segments, and the software only accepts 4 character segments. I call Microsoft, who relucantly gives me Digital River's phone number. DR says, oh thats a known problem, we'll email you a new number. They do, but its also in 5 character segments and won't work. Further calls to Microsoft and Digital River provide no help. Finally got a US agent, but he is also clueless, and wants me to pay for technical support.

Now I'm trying to get a refund, and if I have to, I'll get a chargeback from my credit card.

Luckily I backed up my 2007 MS Money database to a USB Flash Drive before I installed 2008. MS Money converts any files it finds, so you cant go back, a trick they've used for many years now.

My visit to Epcot : Lots to like, lots to dislike. The admission price is just flat outrageous ($75 for one day visit). The "SOARIN'" ride however, is almost worth that price. The technology part of Epcot, has in large part been watered down for 10 year olds. The International Countries part is interesting, seemed just like the 1984 New Orleans Worlds Fair to me. A few customer unfriendly things. The cafeteria in LANDS doesn't have enough seating at lunchtime. And the Environmental rides/exhibits adjacent to the cafeteria are at odds with the disposable plastic plates and flatware and the paper cups. It was almost a 3 hour drive each way from the Miami suburb where I was staying, which (combined with high admission price) makes one want to stay a full 12 hours, despite how exhausted that makes one. Strangely the parking lot had no zone mappings (i.e. South D3) like you'd find in an airport parking facility to make it easy to find your car at end of day. The large pretty maps on the grounds always lacked a "You are Here" designation, sometimes making finding your way not as easy as it could have been. There were ample restroom facilities. Even though we weren't at Magic Kingdom, there were sufficient opportunites and places for parents to photograph their child with Beauty and the Beast or Pluto, or just about any of the Disney characters, and of course myriad kiosks to buy Mickey ears.