No Macs were harmed in the editing of this web page, but they were highly offended.
I mentioned Ninite a few posts ago as a useful site for setting up a newly installed operating system.
Google has a similar offering in it’s Google Pack. I was aware of it, but had never really looked at it. For some reason, I did today.
It’s similar in a lot of ways to Ninite, and offers a number of Google applications. But, since many of my favorite free applications do come from Google, it’s not a bad starting point. Continue Reading…
Well, it wouldn’t be the holidays without a review of some over-hyped, excessively expensive stereo gear. I came across these speakers via a Twitter post from Patrick Norton, of Tekzilla-fame.
They sure are beautiful. I have to admit, they’re a work of art, but are they any good as speakers? Nothing I saw gave me any assurance – other than the spectacular looks – that they were out of the ordinary sound-wise.
So I dug into it. I wasn’t going to spend $495 to buy a set and see, so I looked for a review on the net. I found one at Boing-Boing. They didn’t exactly pan them, but they weren’t too enthusiastic either. They pretty much said what I suspected.
To be blunt, if you’re concerned about the existence of equally good-sounding gear at lower prices, you’re probably not the intended audience. The Ceramic Speakers are about marrying distinctive minimalist design with good quality and an open-minded approach to where in the home you stick them.
These are the perfect companion for your iPod. More style over substance at a premium price. The ignorance tax is in effect…
I finally bit the bullet and installed Windows 7 on my laptop. I have had a little experience with Win 7 in the beta version, having it installed on two computers. One, my HTPC box developed hardware problems that are still unresolved, and the other is an old Pentium III motherboard that is marginally able to run it.
But despite that, I feel good enough about Win 7 to want to risk an upgrade of my main daily use computer, my Toshiba Satellite A250. It had – and came with – Vista Home Premium, which has always run well on it. I’ve always felt that much of Vista’s bad rap came from installs over an existing operating system. It’s expecting a lot for Vista to run well when it inherits all the clutter and crud from an old XP – or worse – install. A clean install, especially when done by an OEM, gives it a fighting chance to shine.
Microsoft avoids a lot of that with Windows 7. They tell you right up front that many combinations need a clean install. Putting it on my laptop was one of the ones that could have been upgraded in place, keeping my programs installed, but I chose a clean install anyway. It’s safer to start with a clean slate. Continue Reading…
I just downloaded and am installing Apple’s Quicktime player on this computer. The free version, of course. I hate to do it, but sooner or later you run into some web site that needs it to play a file, usually a video clip.
Here’s a list of things I love about Quicktime:
1. I already have at least two better players on the computer. Apple, though, in it’s wisdom, keeps making some proprietary format and won’t let any other players work with it. Windows Media Player, arguably a clunkier and worse player than Quicktime, is already on every Windows computer and I always install a lighter and more versatile player. My favorite choice being VLC Media Player.
2. It offers to put a shortcut on my desktop. How considerate. At least it’s an option. I don’t need it. For one thing, it would never be my choice, if I had one. For another, the only time I use it is when I absolutely need to and just letting the file association load it is fine. No need to clutter the desktop.
3. It wants to now restart my system. No thanks, it might be weeks before I need to use it. I’ll reboot sometime in the interim.
4. It offers to send me emails about God-knows-what and to install some other program I don’t want. Toolbars. Updaters. I don’t care. Should I be thankful that it gives me the option to decline them?
It’s just another Apple annoyance. The Mac-heads are sitting there, so smug, saying “Look I made a video!” Well, why didn’t you save it in a format that everyone can use? Why must I have to use another piece of crap software to do the same thing I already have programs for?
Oh and don’t even get me started on iTunes…. I absolutely refuse to even use that piece of junk or go down that road. I don’t even want to have the free stuff they offer.
