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Did you know LCD monitors can improve productivity?

By Aaron Gibson

I am sure you have all seen the sexy flat panel monitors and thought they would look good on your desk. However, did you know that they have significant ergonomic advantages which could improve your productivity? Extensive research by Professor Alan Hedge (Department of Design & Environmental Analysis, Cornell University, 2003) advocates that LCD displays have considerable improvements over their bulky counterparts, the CRT monitor.

These include: Faster performance, no image flicker, brighter and uniform display, uniform image geometry, high image sharpness, no specular screen glare, minimal heat emissions and highly flexible positioning.

As for the productivity, the time taken to search for text on a screen of text are up to 22% faster for LCDs (Hedge, 2003). Eye fixation times are also 9% shorter and 15% fewer eye fixations are needed to read the same information.

Due to their size and weight, LCDs offer a greater variety of positioning allowing for better posture, as well as more efficient use of space on desktops. Environmentally, LCD monitors consume approximately 60% less energy and produce no VLF/ELF electromagnetic radiation emissions (Hedge, 2003).

Perhaps something to consider when purchasing a new monitor in the future.

Microsoft Office 2007: What's in store for you?

By Aaron Gibson

New user interface, real-time formatting, winning combination!

A bold move by Microsoft has changed the way in which office users can create attractive documents quickly and efficiently. A radical new interface (called the "Ribbon") allows access to the commands you require in a predictive format - greatly simplifying document setup. Getting used to the innovative interface should not be a problem for many since the familiar tools are organized in ways that make it convenient for the user to access both new and previously hidden features.

Real-time formatting has also been added to this release allowing for more time writing and less time formatting. Instead of having to click on the format choice you "think" you want, then clicking undo, you now only have to hover over the choice you want and your modification is shown in place... you only need to click once when your selection is what you are after.

With its classy new look, time saving features and many more improvements, Microsoft Office 2007 looks like a very worthwhile business tool.