We've talked here about smart phones and other solutions for working remotely, but perhaps the most useful kind of remote access you can have is to get the access to the computer that's nearest and dearest to your heart from any other device and have it emulate the features you most love on that PC.

I learned today, from a company with about 20 employees, of a solution for people who have Microsoft's XP Professional operating system on their PCs: Remote Desktop. The nice thing is that you can connect to the computer--and apparently a host--from not only a laptop or a desktop, but also from a Pocket PC (a handheld device with Microsoft's made-for-handheld operating system) or a smart phone. The downside is that you, apparently, must have XP.

CNET's Robert Vamosi did a nice job of reviewing some of the other solutions, as well.

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OK, it happened, just like the analysts said. Jobs announced an Intel-inside Mac laptop, called the MacBook Pro, and an Intel-inside iMac, which no analysts were expecting. Also, no iPods--but one item likely to be glossed over is the new FM tuner and remote control adapter for iPods, which costs a somewhat whopping $49. The new iLife looks pretty cool, and there's a new, dead-simple Web-building program called iWeb that's sure to appeal to teen types (or anyone not into HTML writing, Web scripting, or owning their own domain name) looking for a My First Web Site-type experience. Follow CNET's coverage here and on the Alpha blog.

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Howard Stern made his highly anticipated and highly paid debut on Sirius radio today, finally freeing himself from the terrible bonds of FCC regulations. And how did he celebrate? With a surprising minimum of cussing...and a whole heck of a lot of fart sounds. Ah, satellite radio. Sign me up!

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It's nice to be back from CES and ready for news that's unrelated to either porn stars or consumer electronics. But this is just a bit depressing. President Bush last week signed a bill that makes it a federal crime to "annoy" someone on the Internet, if you're doing so anonymously. You can post hostile, flame-y, rude, or otherwise "annoying" comments online only if you use your real name. Because hey, when it comes to determining whether a federal crime has been committed, annoying is a very legally specific term, I'm sure. Seriously, government? Get your greasy fingers off of our comment forms, OK?

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