Category Archives: Tech
Windows in time…
On October 2 I said I was going to spend a few days in Windows 7 and see how it goes. Well, that first couple of hours went great. I really didn’t hate it. Then I realized I can’t sync my iPod to it. So in spite of my best intentions, I had to get out of it and go back to my Mac. Had to.
But I have been using it off and on since then. It’s not bad. It’s almost a Mac. Almost. I’ve installed Windows own anti-virus. I’ve got Gmail on the Windows Mail program. Also installed is Live Writer for blogging. I’ve got nothing else. I don’t dislike Windows 7. It’s fairly unobtrusive.
Cool things about 7
That said, there are a couple of things that I really like about it. First, I really, really like the new search function. It’s just as fast and as useful as Spotlight. This is a huge piece of my workflow and it’s nice to see it on Windows. I can’t wait until our work computers get 7 installed. The other thing I enjoy how clean the UI is. The taskbar is cleaner than XP. Microsoft has also built some pretty nice features that help you manage your open windows so you can see what’s going on without moving everything around.
I’ve installed Windows Live Mail and Writer and am using both. It would be great to see Apple include a blog writer app in their OS. The Writer program from Microsoft is not bad at all. Just like I’d expect from a Mac program, it’s easy to set up, is mostly intuitive, and has a few nice extras for that nice touch.
Another bonus point is Microsoft has finally provided a screen capture utility that offers more functionality than the Print Screen button. It’s called Snipping Tool, and while I haven’t found any key commands to perform functions in the background, it’s nice to finally get a controlled screen shot.
Windows 7 innovations
Windows Security Essentials. It’s Microsoft’s self-made anti-virus solution for home users (and probably very small businesses). This wasn’t an innovation, but I would definitely say that it was about time for Microsoft to provide a solution to the virus empire they have built with their OS. This just seems really responsible to me and is long past due.
This is also quite the shot over the bow to 3rd party solutions like Symantec. How many people spend $30 to $70 a year on keeping their PC safe from viruses? How much money is going to be taken away from competition by providing a free solution? Time will tell as we see how this suite performs in the real world.
Not cool things about 7
Navigating folders and files is still a pain in the tuchas. I love being able to see multiple folders at the same time. After looking through several folders I can not find out how to accomplish this. Though at the top of the Explorer window you can view the contents of folders in a drop-down style.
Undoing screw ups is also a pain. Through accidentally moving the Live Writer folder to another folder and moving it back I managed to render the program inoperable. I had somehow removed the program enough so that the program manager no longer saw it. After about 10 minutes I grabbed the .exe file to run the repair utility.
Well, it’s nice to see some things never change…
Concluding thoughts
Overall, I’m not discouraged by 7. It’s going to be a nice addition to my work computer, and may even keep its place on my Mac for a while (the Live Writer is nice). This is also going to be an easy sell to IT pros who are willing to try it out in a test environment. The general consensus of 7 is that it is a good OS. I can’t wait to see how it holds up to the pros.
Microsoft’s Long, Slow Decline
But the best consensus about Windows 7 is only that it’s not going to be a complete and total clusterfuck like Vista.
Mindmeister license
I received an email this morning with five licenses for a 2 month Premium membership to Mindmeister’s online mind-mapping service.
First five comments get a license!
Online Mind-mapping
Top 10 Steve Jobs Quotes
Steve Jobs is truly one of the most amazing CEO’s ever. How many CEOs do you know that causes stock values to change when he sneezes? How many CEOs are superstars? How many CEOs can be the most challenging and apparently least caring person, yet still have a charisma that makes people love him and respond positively to the pushing?
With that said, check out these quotes from Marketing Nirvana’s site.
Pages ’08 compared with Pages ’09
They fixed the font display. MS Office is finally gone.
Click the gallery to see the difference.
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- Fuzzy font display
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- Clear font display
Transition Co-Chair Podesta urges DTV deadline extension
Boo-f*cking hoo
The letter notes that as many as 5 million Americans could lose their television reception if the deadline is not reconsidered.
I knew Steve Jobs was okay…
Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.
Shhh… radio silence
The 10-mile radius of the West Virginia Radio Astronomy Zone gives researchers the authority to crack down on wireless modems and speakers and cordless phones. The scientists try to be good neighbors, and residents have generally accepted the precautions taken to reduce electromagnetic noise, but some are starting to chafe against the limitations placed on their tools of the digital age.
“We feel were a bit discriminated against because they created the zone around us,” said County Commission President James Carpenter, who lives within Green Banks extra-restricted 10-mile radius. “Our children cant have a wireless computer when everybody else in the state can have one.”
Sizemore said the observatorys staff want to accommodate residents, but there may come a day when the researchers start “knocking on doors and asking people to get off their wireless devices.”
via Shhh Gadget racket threatens pulsar research AP by AP: Yahoo Tech .
I wonder how true it would be to joke about these guys getting to wear guns…
The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart
What struck Jim Wier first, as he entered the Wal-Mart vice presidents office, was the seating area for visitors. “It was just some lawn chairs that some other peddler had left behind as samples.” The vice presidents office was furnished with a folding lawn chair and a chaise lounge.
And so Wier, the CEO of lawn-equipment maker Simplicity, dressed in a suit, took a seat on the chaise lounge. “I sat forward, of course, with my legs off to the side. If youve ever sat in a lawn chair, well, they are lower than regular chairs. And I was on the chaise. It was a bit intimidating. It was uncomfortable, and it was going to be an uncomfortable meeting.”
… and this is why it drives me crazy seeing Apple products sold at Wal-Mart. If I want something cheap, I go to Wal-Mart. If I want something of high quality, I don’t go to Wal-Mart.
