Rants
I like the Android OS. There is a foregone conclusion in many circles that it’s the heir apparent to the iPhone OS. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won’t. But after seeing it at last year’s Google I/O conference, a seed has been planted in my mind that I should develop for it. The barrier to entry for developing Android apps is really low. Basically all the tools are free (SDK, Eclipse). The language is Java, which even c# refugees such as myself can easily pick up in an afternoon. Documentation needs to improve, but other than that any question...
When IE8 beta appeared several months ago, I installed it to check it out. It wasn’t too bad: sure, some sites didn’t work properly, others flat out failed to load, but mostly everything could be worked out with the use of that “Compatibility” button. I gave it slack for the software being beta. On top of that, IE is not my primary browser, so I let it stay on the system for those rare times that I encounter an IE only site. Last week, IE8 Release Candidate 1 came out and I installed it as well. As far...
A while ago, I profiled how Google Updater basically refuses to leave your system. One of the responses included a guy who worked on the Updater and he basically said that they are working on a way to allow users to opt out. I appreciate this as I am a power user. This time, I want to take aim at another one of the popular apps: Google Desktop. I actually use the product every single day and love its simplicity. Despite its many flaws, and there are many, Google Desktop stands out from its competitors. What is...
It does NOT suck. If you read some forums or blogs, you'd think that Vista crashes daily and eats your kids for breakfast. A quick Google search reveals that, at this point, it's become fashionable to bitch Vista out. Vista, in fact, does NOT suck. Those people are smoking crack. Or they are not using it. It's a pretty good upgrade to XP (itself a great OS) and is definitely up there in comparison with other operating systems. So let's address some of the criticisms. Why it's a great upgrade to XP. XP is a good and stable...
How to create a DVD less entertainment center Between the two of our children, my wife and I have probably purchased 200 DVDs over the last several years. Needless to say, the DVDs were all over the place. Sometimes, they'd get lost. Other times, they'd get scratched. I've stopped counting how many times I had to make a copy of the Teletubbies because the DVD player would choke on it. This is an instruction manual on how to stop the madness. Wife Acceptance Factor (W.A.F.) So the idea is to buy a Media Center PC, then rip/backup all your DVDs to a hard...
In college, a mind numbing number of moons ago, I both loved and hated English classes. Hated, because my conversational style of writing kept garnering C grades at best, but typically Ds. On the other hand, I loved writing, so I kept attending these classes even after I was done with the required ones. So here comes blogging and pretty everyone is doing it conversation style.
My passion is programming. Particularly, I am fascinated by the area of programmer productivity and performance. Being productive is a theme not only at work, but also in other areas...