Microsoft Office vs Open Office

Is Open Office a viable alternative to Microsoft Office? The short answer is maybe. If you don’t need to share files with anyone else, and you only generate documents for yourself, then Open Office may work for you.
I just recently installed it to get around a Microsoft problem. But unfortunately, it is not compatible with Microsoft Office documents. They claim to read and write Office files, but in reality, it does not work correctly.
If you open a powerpoint file in Open Office Impress (the presentation software), it butchers the PowerPoint, and you’ll have to move every element on every slide around. It also doesn’t support the nice shading that PowerPoint does. Then when you save the file, and open it back up in PPt, everything is messed up.
Same goes for Word and Excel files. Open Office software is great, if you don’t need compatibility with anyone else, or if you don’t want great looking documents, or if you don’t use any other computers that have Microsoft Office loaded. But if you want great looking documents, Microsoft Office is better. The newest version has fantastic drop shadows and the animation is much smoother than Open Office.
If you need to share documents with other people, Microsoft Office is the way to go, since most people already have it. If you need to use other computers that already have Microsoft Office loaded, you don’t want to learn how to use 2 different office suites. All the menus are totally different as well many of the keyboard shortcuts. I really wanted Open Office to work, but the above requirements rule out Open Office. Sometimes you just get what you pay for. Read more

Just Listed

Here’s a wonderful cottage in Arden Hills that we’ve just listed for sale. It is cute as a button, and totally ready to move in. Everything in this home has been lovingly cared for. So much love and care has gone into this house. Contact me if you want more information.

2008 Minneapolis – St. Paul Home Tour

It’s time again for the annual Minneapolis – St. Paul Home Tour. Each year, this tour features many houses that have been remodeled to inspire you to tackle your own home projects. There are several eco-friendly houses on the tour this year, with environmental-friendly remodeling or environmentally-friendly operation for those wha are looking to be greener. You’ll also want to check out the solar power houses, as well as the solar heating in a few others.

This year, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Home Tour takes place on Saturday April 26,2008 from 10am to 5pm, and on Sunday April 27, 2008 from 1pm to 5pm. The tour features 50 homes in all, 35 houses in Minneapolis, and 15 houses in St. Paul.

You can find out more information here: http://www.MSPHomeTour.com

Origami Restaurant Review

I love sushi. I can buy it at Mississippi Market in St. Paul where I do my regular grocery shopping, or at a SuperTarget in a pinch. However, sometimes, only the real stuff will do. In that case, I grab a friend and head out to a restaurant, willing to splurge on some of the best food around.

Origami has been around since 1990, and it is consistently praised as one of the best, if not the best, sushi restaurants in Minneapolis. The decor is comfortable enough so you can wear jeans, yet hip enough so you feel as if you’re going out and not just grabbing a bite to eat on your way home from work. The service is amicable and laid-back, which is how I prefer it.

The last time I went, my friend and I started out with some ebi shumai (shrimp dumplings) that were delicious, if not exactly authentic, and an age dashi tofu (deep-fried) that was wonderfully crisp on the outside, but disappointingly bland on the inside. My friend had the Kariho sake (Devil’s Mask) that she said was excellent while I opted for an organic jasmine peach ice tea that sounded better in theory than it tasted in execution.

We both love unagi (eel and avocado), so the Caterpillar Roll was a must as well as a Spider Roll (crab). We both got tamago (egg) sushi as our dessert (I wanted the green tea ice cream, but I was just too full), and I added Lobster Nigiri and gave one to my friend.

Everything was fresh, popping with flavors, and simply in a league of its own. There is a reason that Origami is called the best sushi in Minneapolis. Check it out. There is one in the Ridgedale Mall as well.

30 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401, (612) 333-8430

http://www.origamirestaurant.com

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