My new fav show, with me fallin' for both Sarah's (Yvonne Strahovski) deadliness and Ellie's (Sarah Lancaster) sweetness.
Adam Baldwin is a loon, and Ryan McPartlin (Captain Awesome) is killing the role of a surfer dude!
Best new show of 2007, IMO!
Uncategorized
Game Changer: MIT OpenCourseWare
Brilliant!
Incredible!
Expanding the market, and helping the world at the same time!
Goes to show that the most important contribution an institution of higher learning can make is not constantly begging for more endowments, but, ahem, actually teaching!
Props, MIT!
Pinnacle Systems - a truly sorry company
December 2, 2007.
On the Pinnacle Systems website, you see that the estimated ship date for the Windows Vista version of the Pinnacle Instant DVD device/software bundle is May 2007.
Well, it is six months later.
No updates on the website, no information, nada!
Now tell me, what are the chances that I will,
- ever purchase anything from these clowns again, or
- recommend any of the wares they peddle to even my worst enemy?
A$$wipes!
VZW (finally) grows up...
…I hope!
In an announcement, Verizon Wireless is opening up its wireless network to all comers and devices if they meet minimum specifications.
Off to Da’ Bassment
For the next week on my annual romp through the Midwest.
Happy and safe Thanksgiving to all!
iPhone sales halted in Deutschland
....thanks to Vodaphone.
Funny comment on ZDNet
"Linux is actually MORE compatible than Vista when talking Win98 apps!!"
In an article titled, If the truth about Linux hurts.....shoot the messenger, that was part of talkback comment #12.
And it nutshells why Linux is getting no traction outside gearheads.
Dude, shake yourself!
It is 2007!
In fact, almost 2008!
There have been like a zillion releases of Windows since Windows 98!
Come out of the temporal stasis field and breathe the air of this century!
Tafiti
Tafiti. Swahili for 'do research'.
Microsoft has just released Tafiti which is a site that “helps people use the Web for research that spans multiple queries and sessions by helping them visualize, store and share the result. “
Since Search is becoming increasingly specialized, across different user scenarios, vertical subject areas and entry points, Tafiti, which uses Silverlight for visualization, and the Windows Live Search engine, will blow you away in its functionality.
With Tafiti, after you enter a search query, you can do the following:
- Drag interesting results to the shelf on the right. Each box on the shelf can be used to save a related set of results. Shelf contents can be saved and shared.
- Use the carousel at the bottom left to do different types of searches (image, blog, etc.)
- Visualize your results using the Tafiti Tree View.
In a short period before the public release of Tafiti that I have used the product, I am very impressed with several items:
- The User Interface. This is the best UI I have seen for search. Your search queries come alive! This is the (new) best use of Siverlight I have seen so far, and it does truly enrich your queries, and stimulates your massaging of the presented data to heretofore-unseen levels.
- Saved searches. Somebody bite me! This is a much better way of doing searches.
- Relevance of presented data. While preliminary, a comparative, albeit non-scientific search revealed that presented data was par with that other search engine.
- Speed. On steroids, for once a good thing.
How cool is that?
Tafiti is at www.tafiti.com
EDIT: Channel 10 has a first look video here. Pretty descriptive.
John on Technology is now AbsoluteVista
John On Technology is now combined with AbsoluteVista and can be found at www.Absolutevista.com .
AbsoluteVista.com is now served by FeedBurner.
The feed link is here.
Nudist site sues Microsoft
Right on the heels of losing an identical case to Google and Amazon.com, online pornography site (name deleted) has turned right around and sued Microsoft.
Shouldn't there be some soft of moratorium on idiots bringing actions?
I hope whatever jurist is assigned to the case throws the book at these lowlifes, and please, please, send one of the company's officers to actual jail.
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Live Search
This is the iPhone?
I just played with my 14-year old god-daughter Karyn’s iPhone, and I must tell you, as a Windows Vista™ and Microsoft technologies evangelist, I came away pissed!
Extremely, as well!
Are you joking?
This is it?
This is that great UI?
When I think of the masses of favorable ink heaped upon this device by the cognoscenti, I cannot help but think that Microsoft has to try another flava of Kool-Aid since St. Paulie seems to be able to sell shit to people who cannot tell shit from peanut butter and Microsoft, with better products, cannot seem to prime the marketing pump.
Again I ask: is this that great UI?
Gimmie a freakin’ break!
Another Apple patchfest
While I was OTG, Apple had another OS X patch party.
This time, the update, dubbed 2007-007, was for 45 flaws in the OS.
45 flaws!
Isn't that like the entire total for all Windows Operating systems for this entire year or so?
Welcome to the real world, cattle!
Technorati Tags: OS X
WindowsBlinds 6 beta
Stardock WindowsBlinds, and indeed the Object Desktop product has been for a while a most capable way of personalizing the Windows™ visual experience.
Not leaving well enough alone, Stardock has in beta the next release of Windows Blinds, version 6.
This new version is a gem, and my Dawg, Spencer Scott (Island Dog) has a preview video showing some of the cool features in WindowsBlinds 6 below.
Technorati Tags: StarDock, WindowsBlinds
A billion dollars gone bye-bye
Actually, $1.52 billion.
Just like that!
No chance of protracted settlement talks. No chance of a win in a drawn-out appeals process. No chance of a 40-60% payout.
What are we talking about?
In Re: Alcatel-Lucent vs. Microsoft.
Since the judge threw out the verdict, what next for Alcatel-Lucent?
According to an ALU company mouthpiece, “This reversal of the judge’s own pretrial and post-trial rulings is shocking and disturbing, especially since — after a three-week trial and four days of careful deliberation — the jury unanimously agreed with us”, and that Alcatel-Lucent intends to appeal.
Nice, meaningless words, Mary Lou. They just don’t carry any water.
How happy are Patty and Sergei today?
Nothing in the City of Lights could brighten their demeanor at all!
I have an idea: why don’t you guys create, market, and sell some innovatively great products for a change?
About the $1.52 billion?
Foggetaboutit!!!
Massachusetts (rightfully) selects OOXML
There are just waay too many snarky comments I could make here. However, since we are all adults, I’ll pass.
However, it is nice to see the government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, Governor, finally take charge of the impending morass they would have been subjected to if they had abided by the incredibly bizarre proclamation by Eric Kriss of the selection of ODF as the de facto standard for government documents.
Read on at John.Obeto on Microsoft on NetworkWorld.com
Microsoft gets Massively Dugg
Microsoft today signed contracts to serve ads to two platforms.
In the first, Microsoft subsidiary, Massive, inked a deal to supply dynamic in-game ads to several titles owned by Electronic Arts.
In the other, Microsoft will be the ad platform for Digg, in an arrangement similar to last year’s pact with Facebook.
These are the kinds of deals I expect from Microsoft: platform deals.
When combined with Microsoft’s moves in vertical search, the aQuantive buy, and healthcare, there isn’t any doubt that a new search juggernaut is in the making.
Slow news day at eWeek?
Gamer kidnapped for his online password?
Every day, the worldview gets bleaker, as more signs that the end of the world is fast approaching are revealed.
Otherwise, how would you account for this 'gem' of a story?
In Brazil, a top gamer for GunBound is kidnapped and held for five (5) hours by his abductors who want to get his GunBound password in order to sell it for the equivalence of $8000 USD.
This moron, the world's #1 in GunBound resisted, yes, resisted, despite having his imbecilic kidnapper place a gun to the abductees's head for the entire time.
Just who is the bigger idiot?
The brain-addled, pistol-wielding nutjob, or his equally whacko prey, who wouldn't give up a password at gunpoint?
Loser, it is a freakin' game!
To paraphrase Meg Marco:
Apparently, the
idiotvictim is some sort of role-playing computer gamer. He seems well regarded among his own kind.
Go figure!
The World HAS gone mad!!!
The Apple stores will now start charging $5.00 USD to drones who want to gawk at their new redeemer?
Are you freakin' kiddin' me?
WTF is goin' on?
$5.00 to look at a freakin' phone?
I better stop before I freak!
Original link from Paul McNamara
Exit Herb Kelleher
Another icon bows out.
The founder, former CEO, and current chairman of Southwest Airlines will retire from the company in May of 2008.
Mega props to the man.
As someone who avails himself of the services of the airline, the friendly, playful antics of the wisecrackin' crew always helps to alleviate the stress of flying we all face nowadays.
Not to mention that the airline has been profitable since 1973.
Yes, 1973!
He and company president, Colleen Barrett (who retires in July 2008) will be missed.
Hopefully, their legacy of fiscal prudence and customer service will endure.