Jimmy's Favorite Sites

By Jimmy R. Hammond

Here are a few sites I have discovered which are helpful, informative or interesting. These sites relate to Annapolis, to business or are just worth dropping in for a casual visit. Let's go surfing and take a look.

The State of Maryland has introduced computerized touch screen voting to this year's election process. I am assuming that you will soon be deluged by voting materials and screen shots of this year's electronic ballot. If you have any fear or intimidation factor that begins to emerge I encourage you to go to www.mdvotes.org. Maryland has created an interactive demo that should dispel all fears and prepare the Maryland electorate for voting in the 21st century. The actual voting machines have a magnification mode and supplemental hearing devices. After your first electronic encounter, you will no doubt look back and wonder why it took so long to upgrade our antiquated voting system.

Prior to our publication deadline, the much discussed revision to the overtime rules was enacted by the federal government. This new behemoth is known as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). You may be aware that many states have counterparts to the federal legislation, and now the reconciliation and adoption process begins. For employees as well as employers it may look like a mine field, and no doubt legions of layers will ultimately be required to navigate this legislation. In the meantime, I would suggest some self-education is in order. You can go directly to www.dol.gov/dol/compliance/comp-flsa.htm for your primer. Yes, there are vast groups for and against it, but it is now the law. It is your responsibility to be informed.

Here we go again! Microsoft's Windows XP, the most common operating system on PC's today, has just released a free 79 meg upgrade. Microsoft simultaneously announced that by 2006 a replacement operating system known presently as "Longhorn" would be available. Remember, these release dates are soft but Microsoft does eventually deliver. I made the discovery by selecting the Windows upgrade option on my Internet Explorer home page. I was fortunate enough to get two of my machines upgraded, about an hour and a half for each machine, by the end of release day, but on subsequent attempts for my other machines I was thwarted by a "check back later" message, which indicated the servers were swamped. I finally ordered the update on a CD which is a no-cost option from Microsoft. The security upgrades and other technical upgrades are important, and I encourage you to keep your software current.

Here at Inside Annapolis we are still excited about our new web site at www.InsideAnnapolis.com which was quietly introduced in May 2004. The feedback about the new site has been overwhelmingly positive, and the access statistics are impressive. If you haven't changed your favorite site link from www.AnnapolisMag.com, no matter, you'll still get there through the redirection feature at the web site server. Regardless, come on in and check it out. Tell us what you think. We want our site to be a must-visit when you think about Annapolis. As always we encourage your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks!

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