Today's blog is a grab bag of sorts.

First off, Lenovo is diving into the consumer market with a brand new and very sweet-looking notebook it's calling the IdeaPad. Lenovo, which has been a mainstay of the enterprise world, is hoping to win over consumers with snazzy features, such as its new face recognition that uses a 1.3 megapixel camera to identify the user.

That means your face is not only your new password, you've entitled it to now be unforgettable; a boost for security and your ego.

Some other cool features include the Dolby Home Theater audio system, which boasts four speakers and a sub-woofer.

Another interesting tidbit for y'all comes from Health Day http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=611412 which reports that the nasty stomach flu, or norovirus, can be spread via your computer keyboard and mouse.Blech.

If there has ever been a case for keeping hand sanitizer on your desk, this is it.

According to CDC epidemiologist Dr. Shua Chai, norovirus can live on surfaces for several days. Chai recommends practicing the same hygienic habits most people employ after using the bathroom. Wash your hands after use, namely if the keyboard and mouse in question are shared.

Computer keyboards and mice can also be disinfected regularly with diluted bleach.

Chai is the co-author of a report on norovirus, published in the Jan. 4 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

I have some "green news" to report as well. The company Logicalis has created a nifty online carbon footprint calculator www.us.logicalis.com/green that helps IT departments assess its power consumption levels (and thus carbon dioxide emissions) and how that pull on the grid can be reduced through virtualization and server consolidation.

Similarly, the Web site www.greenpdf.com has a bunch of articles that educate and demonstrate how PDF files can help make the planet a greener place to live, if users can resist the always tempting print button.

PDFs can save thousands of reams of paper each year, and as we all know, paper comes from trees, and so on and so forth.