Archive: Business & Technology

Dr. DigitDr. Digit 'Splains It All

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Last week I talked about what drove me to get a MacBook.  This week I will tell you how a Windows guy is adjusting to the Mac.  Granted I have a long-standing PC bias, so there are some things I want to carry over from my PC experience.  But I am willing to be flexible if the rewards are worth it.

The first thing I hated was not having a right mouse button.  The woman who helped me at the Mac Store actually solved this for me.  She showed me just where to go in Keyboard and Mouse System Preferences to set up the secondary button.  Presto!  not only do I have a right mouse button, but almost all of the programs have context menus (the litle pop-up menus you see in Windows when you right click) on the Mac!  Mission #1 accomplished.

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(Lansing, NY) -- Jazzercise dance-fitness classes formerly held at Lansing Elementary School and the Groton Fitness Center will move to the new Upstate NY Jazzercise Center in Lansing at 3100 N. Triphammer Road starting December 3, 2007, according to instructors and facility owners Eileen Coller and Lee Ann Capogrossi.

"Our move to N. Triphammer Road allows us to better accommodate students with a convenient location and comfortable workout space," explained Coller. Classes will take place Monday through Thursday at 4:45 and 6:00 p.m., on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m.

 

Dr. DigitDr. Digit 'Splains It All

I've been a PC guy since the beginning.  I didn't like Apples, because in their quest to make everything easy for users, they assumed I was an idiot, preventing me from doing many of the things I want to do on a computer.  I have to say that the evangelistic self-righteous zeal of many Apple users also turned me off.  But the bottom line was that I just didn't like using them.

I love my current PC.  It is a fast, powerful beast with plenty of memory and storage.  It runs Windows XP Media Center edition, and it does everyting I want it to.  The fans are getting noisy, though, and I wonder if other parts may go.  So I have started thinking about my next computer, and strangely it is a Mac.

If you own a small business, you probably laugh at the notion of a "9 to 5" workday. Unfortunately, many small-business owners work so hard, and are so focused on the "here and now"- increasing sales, controlling costs, attracting new customers, etc. - that they forget to plan for their own retirement and for the fate of their business.

Don't make those mistakes. No matter how hectic your schedule, take the time to set up a retirement plan for yourself and a succession plan for your business.

Ithaca, NY - Alternatives Federal Credit Union's Business CENTS program is introducing an intensive, one-day business plan writing workshop for existing or aspiring entrepreneurs. The workshop will take place Saturday, December 15, from 9:00 - 3:00 p.m. at Alternatives, 125 N. Fulton Street, in Ithaca. The workshop fee is $15 and registration is mandatory. Space is limited; first come first serve.

"The key word here," says Michelle Matro, Business Consultant and Trainer at Business CENTS," is writing. We won't be talking about business plans, we'll be writing them! You'll leave with a framework begun and a clear idea of how to continue the research and outline the rest of your plan," she promises.

Richard and Kay Moore presented a check for $1,000 to the Ithaca YMCA's CEO Paul Grennell yesterday to celebrate Moore Tree Farm 's 20th Anniversary.  The check kicks off the couple's plan to collect donations during the Christmas tree season to help area youth participate in Y programs throughout the year.  The money will go to the YMCA Scholarship Fund.

What's the most prominent thing you notice about mutual fund advertisements? In most cases, it's the fund's return. Quite often, these returns are truly eye-popping. But if you look closer at the ads, you'll see that many of the highest returns are for short periods of time, such as one year or three years. And a mutual fund's short-term return is not, by itself, reason enough to buy that fund - so don't rush to your checkbook.

Actually, a mutual fund's short-term performance may tell you less about the fund than about what's been happening in the financial markets. If most stocks rise significantly for a few years, the chances are pretty good that a stock-based mutual fund is going to do well, too.

Ithaca Materials Research (IMR) Test Labs is a national firm offering a complete scope of materials research and testing services, including failure analysis, expert testimony, lab management, product testing, training and much more. In January 1998 IMR opened a 6,600 square foot lab in Lansing.

Now, ten years later, IMR Test Labs has swelled to over 30,000 square feet with more than 60 employees in Lansing and two sister labs adding another 20+ employees in Charleston, SC and Louisville, KY. Their research and development labs are accredited by A2LA* and NADCAP**, and are certified by major manufacturers across the U.S.

ITHACA, NY - Fifteen local businesses are urging the community to "shop green" this holiday season. Business owner Autumn Newell is leading a 30-day Shop Green campaign to call attention to more earth-friendly choices for gifts this year.

"We're lucky to have so many stores in Ithaca that carry products and gifts that aren't harmful to the planet," said Newell. She and her partner JoJo Alpern recently opened Tuff Soul, which sells organic, vintage, and refashioned clothing. Other stores on the Shop Green list carry locally made, reused, recycled, fairly traded, and organic products, and local foods.

Ideally, our children should learn good behavior from us. But when it comes to living within our means, and saving and investing for the future, we're not setting such a good example. Consider the following:

• Savings are low - The personal savings rate in the U.S. in 2006 and 2005 was negative - something that hasn't happened since the Great Depression. Thus far in 2007, the savings rate has crept into positive territory, but it's still anemic.

ITHACA, NY - Arrangements are being completed for transferring ownership of the Bill Cooke Chevrolet-Cadillac Inc. franchise to the Maguire auto group, which includes dealerships in Ithaca and Trumansburg. The transfer, announced November 2 by William E. (Will) Cooke, is expected to take place later this month.

Bill Cooke Chevrolet-Cadillac Inc., founded in 1965, initially was as a Cadillac and Oldsmobile dealership in downtown Ithaca. William D. Cooke, the founder and a second-generation auto dealer, moved the business to its present location above Triphammer Mall in 1968 after being displaced by urban renewal projects downtown. Will Cooke, who became president of the corporation after his father's death in 1973, added the Chevrolet franchise in 1998. William E. Cooke Sr., the patriarch of the family, began selling Fords in Rochester in 1919. He remained associated with the family business until his death in 1995 at age 95.

(Ithaca, NY) Warren Real Estate of Ithaca announced Wednesday that it will expand and open an office in downtown Ithaca, adjacent to the Ithaca Commons in the commercial heart of Tompkins County. Warren will occupy 3,500 square feet in the Treblock Building, which is located at the corner of Aurora and East State Streets. The official address is 301 East State Street. The site is the former home of Merrill Lynch, which recently moved into the new office space in the Cayuga Green Project in downtown Ithaca.

"As a locally-owned company, this expansion reaffirms our commitment to the community we live and work in, " says Bryan Warren, President of Warren Real Estate. "This will be a fully-staffed, fully-operational Warren Real Estate office, offering all of the services and capabilities of our two other offices. Its strategic location will be a benefit to homebuyers and sellers in the downtown Ithaca area, as well as the Cornell University and Ithaca College communities. We recognized a while back that many of these buyers and sellers wanted to do business with a realtor that was conveniently located for them and we're pleased to be able to serve them in this way."