DSC00113

DSC00114

A broader Vista- Some nice tweaks and some Beta annoyances

One of the nice things about Vista is the user rights assignment. One of the reasons Microsoft has gotten so many security and stability dings is because almost everyone sets themselves up and everyone else in their family as an Administrator. This gives that user, and process running under that user, way more control over the system than it probably needs. I mean, does the six year old paying Blue's Clues need user rights to uninstall a Service Pack or to install any new software? One of the features of Windows Vista is the use of a 'Virtual Registry' for Limited rights users, so they can't do any (ok, as much) real damage to a system, since they're not actually making changes to the core system registry. That's also why the dialog box above mentions "programs designed prior to Windows XP or Windows 2000 might not work properly with limited accounts". The virtual registry function in Vista should work fine with these applications, but older applications may not interface with this implementation. Running these older apps as administrator should work fine though, since the virtual registry use is replaced with direct registry permissions. Below, you can see the screenshot for granting a user Administrator rights, it is very clean and straightforward: I was glad to see Grisoft's AVG Antivirus (the free version) running just perfectly in MS Vista: It's just too bad that Vista didn't seem to notice how perfectly AVG was running. Maybe we'll just chalk this up to Beta 1, since the Windows XP Security Center notices AVG and gives it props: This was one disappointment... Outlook Express 6?! Are you kidding me? Hasn't this been around since like, Istanbul was Constantinople? I expect the next version to look remarkably like Thunderbird... I'm psychic that way: One little annoyance, the Recycle Bin sure is pretty, but it ain't all that bright. The Recycle Bin icon never refreshed itself. I had to actually perform an F5 on the desktop to get the Recycle Bin to repaint to either show it was full or empty:

Windows Vista to Firefox - You will be assimilated!

Take a look at that first screenshot.... it's a little hard to tell the difference between Firefox and IE 7 (bundled with Windows Vista). It seems apparent to me that Microsoft is taking the Copy/Paste approach to Open Source. After all, if it ain't broke... copy it! As you can see below, the IE 7 File Download and Security Warning dialog boxes are pretty much the same as in IE 6.
As soon as we fire up Firefox, we get the now familiar Windows Firewall prompt, saving us from ourselves (and better browsing experiences). After allowing Firefox to breathe that fine fresh internet bandwidth, it's time to start downloading some extensions! I got most of my favorite extensions to load...Except for the one extension that really saves my remaining traces of sanity... Adblock! Well, hopefully this will be resolved soon. Speaking of extensions, you think maybe Microsoft came up with their own implementation of this rockin concept?! Why, yes they did! It just happens to look almost identical! Well, they're not the same though, of course. IE 7 has Add-Ons. Nothing like extensions. Seriously, I'm sure MS had the idea first. There don't seem to be any Add-Ons out there currently, but it should be interesting to see what power Add-On authors are given to manipulate IE.

Windows Vista Beta 1 - First Impressions

I finally got around to installing Windows Vista on a test box (HP tc4200) and I'll have to say, I'm quite impressed! That's mostly because I've seen previous builds of Longhorn and I could only kindly describe those as catastrophically disappointing. The interface in Vista Beta 1 is greatly improved over previous builds. In fact, after tinkering with it for a few hours, I can pretty comfortably say it is more intuitive and aesthetically attractive than XP.

You might have noticed that I don't see the Vista interface as a revolutionary jump to replace XP, but I don't think it should be either. Users will feel familiar with the look, even though there are tweaks in almost every screen and dialog box. Lets take a look at some of the differences.

Control Panel (default view):

Parental Controls (while I can definitely see the market for this, I'm sure the "Collect information about computer usage" will have a LOT of people asking questions):

Trying to keep your "Hot Coffee" decaf?

We can see in Device Manager that the driver library team for Vista has a few hours of overtime available for the taking:

Computer Management looks mostly the same, the Event Viewer menu has been reworked:Windows Explorer has had a major rework. File and folder grouping are prominent features and quite easy to use. The directory structure has also changed somewhat:User files are now housed in "C:\Users" instead of "C:\Documents and Settings\..."

The new "C:\Boot" folder is a departure from XP and 2000:
The File Copy dialog seems to start counting at zero. Well, they have to have something to fix for Beta 2! (I wonder where Beta 0 was):Thumbnail images in the copy/replace dialog box add a nice (and helpful) touch:

PDK Airport - Burger Nirvana with a hint of Jet Fuel

Another fine 90 degree day for a burger and a fine view of the runway.

MP3onChannel -Take music with your Automobile!

Here it is, the latest addition to the Gadget Arsenal, the MP3onChannel. You can tell the company that manufactures this device relies on the quality and innovation of its products and does not just rest on the reputation of the company alone. How does one know this? The manufacturer of this device is not mentioned once. I looked all over the package, in the instructions and on the device, not one single name on ANYTHING, except MP3OnChannel (now that's low-profile corporate marketing). Well then, at least with a name like that, we know exactly what it is... maybe.

Well, the instructions are pretty clear cut, but let's walk through them:

1. Plug into the cigar outlet [ok, that's the hole in my dashboard that the cigars come out of, no problem... next!]
2. Plug flash drive to the player (MP3 files inside) [ok, so far lots of plugging]
3. Set FM channel on the car radio and then press "PLAY" on the player to start [the plugging is all starting to make sense now]
4. Adjust the channel if the signal has been interfered [conspiracy theorists may spend more time adjusting the channel, I'll assume my signal hasn't been interfered with. No black helicopters around here that I can see]
5. Move the player away after you turn off the car [but we just got to know each other! Please don't forget to write me, MP3onChannel!]

Well that's it, you get 1 use before the cigar outlet powered USB flash drive storing MP3 playing FM transmitting gadget has to move on to greener pastures - if you follow the instructions. I managed to keep my unit well beyond the first use and shipping the player off to new lands does not seem to truly be necessary. The transmitter was suitably strong and played a wide variety of both fixed and variable bitrate MP3's (I tried fixed encoding up to 320kbps and VBR with a max of 650 kbps).

This is the perfect addition to your gadget collection if you have some thumb drives laying around and want to take some tunes or Podcasts with you. The device does not support playlists, so it plays MP3's sequentially, but there is no easier way to move your MP3's from car to car. You'll always have a way to get your MP3's into any car's stereo without bringing a soldering iron and a wiring diagram.

RAZR, RAZR, Everywhere

Ok, it’s official. I have too many friends (one of them being my wife) with Motorola RAZR's. These things are pretty slick though. Super thin and light.... OK, they're not the Swiss Army Knife of mobile tech with TONS of features, but it does make most other phones look like their aesthetic design budget was pulled from under a sofa cushion.

Leaving Las Vegas

At the Wynn

The Wynn really is a great Las Vegas hotel/casino. It's refreshing that the place doesn't have a Pirate/Jungle/Foreign Country/Circus theme, it's just a nice hotel... ok, a REALLY nice hotel. It makes the Bellagio look a bit frumpy and Disney-ish.




We robbed Steve Wynn of $46.50 at Wheel of Fortune. I'm surprised we weren't kicked out after ravaging his monetary reserves like that, but the powers-that-be let us continue to cruise the hotel and enjoy a cappucino and a brownie (at a cost of close to $46.50, of course).

Breakfast... and then, off to the Mirage!

While you may not see it in this picture, there is a fellow lion handler guy UNDER the paw of the lion in the foreground. There was another handler standing off to the left.. I can only assume to act as a witness when the cops ask how the accident happened. Why does the guy off to the left seem so depressed? He just remembered the dude under the lion owes him $50.

Back at the Bellagio

Heading back to the Bellagio to watch a fountain show or two from the Fontana bar...








After the show (Cirque du Soleil 'O' at Bellagio), it's off to dinner


Here, we can see the manual Red-Eye Removal feature of the Sony Ericsson K750i in use, also feedback from photo subjects indicates the illuminator on the camera phone is slightly brighter than the Sun.

At the Mirage

Outside Caesar's Palace