I'm here at CES, and even though I'm suffering from a severe case of sensory overload I have managed to stuff a few facts into my brain.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to catch a presentation by Jared Anderson, Microsoft's PowerPoint Project Manager, who gave us a run down on the new stuff in PowerPoint 2007.

I'm not going to focus on the changes in the user interface as that has been discussed in other forums, but rather on the new functionality that PowerPoint 2007 offers. I am not a graphic designer, and PowerPoint has always helped people like me with pretty templates you can use to enhance your presentations. Over time these templates become a little...stale.

In the new version of PowerPoint they have greatly extended and enhanced the ability to make your presentation slick and professional. One of the stand-out features that I saw was the ability to make dynamic 3D text boxes that can be manipulated in a variety of ways so that even non-designers such as myself can add a great deal of visual interest. Not only can these text boxes be made into a variety of shapes and angled in any way you like, but they offer a range of new fill colors and styles (including a cool new gloss that's very much 'in fashion' now).

Other features include:

• New default theme Layouts - very dynamic, new and updated.

• Over a dozen different effects (fill styles change based on effect)

• Six new fonts optimized for on-screen reading

• Text and text box effects - new abilities. I no longer have to go to our graphics team for elements. I can do it myself!

• MUCH easier to import Excel or Word tables because they have the same controls now.

Sadly, all of this leaves room for a whole new style of horrendous PowerPoint presentations. As with all things less is more. Don't go hog wild with every new feature!

For More information be sure to visit the Microsoft website: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/office/preview/programs/powerpoint/highlights.mspx

Give your desktop a whole new look with the Logika suite from Stardock!

This stylish suite includes everything needed to give your PC a new attitude. It includes a visual style that will change the way Windows looks and feels, a wallpaper, icons and both a Windows Media Player and a WinAmp skin. Check it out here: http://www.stardock.com/products/themes/logika/index.asp

The cost is a mere $8.95 with a discount for Object Desktop subscribers.

Want more cool premium suites, made by the worlds top skinners? Check out our other suites here: http://www.stardock.com/products/themes/

Need to get Object Desktop? www.objectdesktop.net

A whole new Stardock.com is coming your way next week! We hope to launch it on the 18th. You won't even recognize it! Our web team and MikeB have conspired to create a great new site that we hope will be slicker and easier to navigate.

Here's a sneak peek:
 

[Link] 

So what do you think?

Paul Monckton of Personal Computer World in the UK has awarded KeepSafe a five star review stating that it was "A simple utility that can rescue you from potentially disastrous situations with very little user intervention required."

Read the full article here: http://www.vnunet.com/personal-computer-world/software/2156234/stardock-keepsafe

Check out KeepSafe: http://www.stardock.com/products/keepsafe/

This week on the show Brad makes a triumphant return (i.e., he found his way out of the parking lot and back to our facility). We give you an update on Blue Security, discuss a robot that can take care of your children (see note below) and Apple launching the MacBook. We also talk about two lawsuite: Creative is suing Apple over a patent infringement and record labels are suing XM over a piece of hardware. We also get an update from Brad on what's going on with Vista and his thoughts on the future of OS software.

In gaming news Joel tells us about a stock scam involving an ex-Infinium executive, a planned World of Warcraft movie and a new study that reveals that gamers are getting older. Plus we hear about another game, 'Fear Effect' being made into a movie and the cool game that is kicking Joel's butt this week.

Check it out!

With E3 going on this week, we simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to revisit the "booth babes" issue and discuss their apparel (or the lack thereof). We also discovered that people in the UK are now allowed to listen to their CDs on their iPods according to the RIAA. Let's hope North America isn't far behind! Also a spam war involving Blue Security and Russian hackers brings down several websites.

Some are saying the porn industry will decide whether or not Blu-Ray or HD-DVD becomes the new standard, while others say it will be the video game industry. We say it's all BUNK! Ok, it's not really bunk. What do you say?

In gaming news this week we discuss several things coming out of E3, including Nintendo revealing a more traditional controller for the Wii, and Sony makes the pricing structure for the PlayStation 3 public and receives a generally dismal reaction. We also argue about a new game out of Japan called "Maiden Love Revolution".

All this and less! Er...More! Check it out!

Apple goes mano y mano with both France and the RIAA and comes out on top. Also there are rumors that Windows Vista will be delayed again, but what does that really mean for consumers? Skype plans to give us the ability to have a 100 person conference call (which is an instant headache for Kristin) and a high school hacker is caught and "punished".

In gaming news the DS Lite will come out in June, and Oblivion is getting re-rated to an M for Mature! Also gold farmers buy Allakhazam and Joel tells us about the game that's kicking his butt this week.

All of this and so much more in historic Episode 40. Check it out! w00t!

Check out the latest installation of the PowerUser Podcast. This week Wii discuss how nanoelectronics and water can be used to create memory storage devices, Firefox fanboi's are out to "get" IE, and House Democrats have lost the vote on Net neutrality. Also Yahoo offers free software that can turn your PC into a DVR, and phishers have a new scam using VoIP. 

In gaming news: another ex-Gizmondo exec is in trouble, a dad gets mad and shoots his sons computer and the Oklahoma legislature passes a bill that classifies violent games with pornography. Wii also find out that there will be no Spore until 2007 (which sounds like a good thing to game-impaired Kristin, but apparently it's sad news) but the Guitar Hero sequel is coming out in November to a surprising price tag. Wii also find out which game is kicking Joel's butt this week.

It seems like there was something else Wii discussed, but Wii've forgotten what it was...

The PowerUser gang makes use of their new equipment this week and brings you the following topics:

• CES wrap up (what we saw, what was cool. It’s 1080p in case you were wondering).
• Mac news – tons of Mac news. Tune in to find out what plus a special commentary.
• iPod…jeans??
• More threats to Internet anonymity.

Check it out!

Today's topic is loading a DesktopX 3.0 desktop. A DesktopX desktop is basically a snapshot of your desktop. It can be a desktop you've arranged with all of the widgets and objects you like displayed in a pleasing manner (or a displeasing manner, if you have a taste for suffering. Who am I to judge?).

It might also be something that has been set up for "fun" - I'll have to look up this "fun" word when I'm done here. Perhaps someone could provide me with a tutorial on "fun"?

And finally, a desktop might be a secure environment that restricts the user to a limited number of functions. Why would anyone want to do this, you ask? Well, what if you have small children and want to restrict their access to certain programs/folders on the computer. Admittedly, many 5 year olds know more about computers than I do, but it is still possible to restrict them.

Notice that any widgets or programs you have running when you set the desktop will remain active and visible after you set the desktop.

This desktop is not secure. This desktop would be perfect for my mother (whom I love very much, but who is a technophobe), however most small children will have this desktop unloaded in a matter of seconds. Truly secure desktops can be created with DesktopX Enterprise Edition, but that is well beyond the scope of this article.

If you want to unload the desktop, just right-click on the background and select "load desktop". You get this dialog box and you can choose from any of the 3 desktops. Notice the picture on the "classic" desktop. My guess is that it does not look like your desktop. That's ok, select that one and you will go back to how your desktop was before you changed it.

And that, my friends, is all there is to loading an already made desktop. Making your own is a whole other article. Probably the next one ;).

If you don't have DesktopX 3.0 you can get it here.

http://www.stardock.com/products/desktopx/dx-faq.asp

This link will take you to the FAQ page for DesktopX. It's quite possible that I am leaving a lot of questions unanswered in this tutorial, and it's not because I don't like you. (I do, believe me.). It's a very complicated program, and it seems to me that if you can imagine it, you can create it with DesktopX. My little tutorials are just for beginners, no0bies, greenhorns...etc.

Check out the other Newbie Tutorials here:  #1: Intro.,  #2: WindowBlinds, Part 1, #3: WindowBlinds, Part 2, #4: Screenshots, #5: IconPackager, #6: Wallpaper Basics; #7: Logon Studio; #8: CursorXP; #9: BootSkin; #10: RightClick; #12: WindowBlinds Advanced; #13: DesktopX 3.0: Loading Widgets; #14: Loading Objects with DesktopX 

My Desktop:

Skin: Encoded by PixelPirate (It's new, and it's awesome)

Cursors: Encoded by PixelPirate (Keeping with the theme)

Wall: Simplicity by Nerio (Ok, I've used it before, but I can't help it: it's good and it just goes with a lot of stuff!)

Icons: Icon-A-Day by mormegil (was there any question what I'd be running?)