Bidi’s World

It’s been a very busy month fighting various computer problems. First I had a motherboard failure which resulted in having to gut my computer and replace most of it. Technology is changing so fast that even though many of the components in my computer were fairly new they weren’t compatible with my new motherboard.

As a result of the hardware change I had to reverify my Windows XP installation with Microsoft many times throughout the process. Every time you make major hardware changes (with only a hand full of exceptions) to a Windows XP box (the hardware, not the software) they wan’t you to check in with them to verify your installation. This is a process I find personally offensive. It reminds me of Fry’s Electronics where after you make your purchase you have to stand in line to wait your turn to have your purchases verified by the correctional officer standing at the exit door. If they didn’t want me to walk out the door with something in my shopping bag they didn’t want me to have they should not be putting anything in the bag that doesn’t belong there. It isn’t even like they are stopping shoplifting because they are just checking the bags their own employees pack.

When I installed Windows XP I registered the software and was on record as having a valid installation. While I understand why they are doing this I don’t think it’s the best approach. I haven’t changed my software and it was running on the same hard drive where I originally installed it. If I upgrade my PC that is my business and I should not have to let Microsoft know when I do.

To this end I’ve decided to migrate all my productivity to Linux. My plan is to only keep Windows XP around for gaming and solely because at the moment too many game companies aren’t writing for Linux yet. They are missing the boat if you ask me.

So now I am running Ubuntu Linux on my system and I’ve replaced 98% of my regular applications (sans games) with either Linux versions of the same software or comparable software. Still on my list of apps to run under linux are iTunes which I like for it’s iPod management though as a music player I have a better solution under Linux I like better.

This Friday will be the first episode of JD’s Musical Alchemy I’ve recorded under the Linux environment. I’ve been reviewing it and I’m very impressed with how it came out. Keep an eye open for Episode 15.

• Working hard on the podcasts (0)
• Unscheduled hiatus for JD’s Musical Alchemy (0)
• Released JDMA episode 26 (1)

This is apparently old news but I was just looking for some sort of iPod stand solution and my searches came across this article posted by Piers on his blog back in March 29, 2005. Piers details how with some cardboard, scissors, and a bit of tape you can make your own fashionable iPod stand. I’ll be making mine tonight.

You can find blueprints and instructions at Piers website.

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So I decided to check out GameTap. It’s actually a pretty good deal. For a small monthly fee you can download and play tons of games from dozens of platforms. Everything from arcade games to windows games.

I’ve had allot of fun checking out some of the older games I grew up on like Astrosmash, Burger Time, and Defender. They aren’t limited to just older titles either. There are some fairly modern titles too. In many ways the service is on par with some of the game rental sites but instead they deliver to your desktop.

After you sign up you download the client and all interaction with your account is done through the nice 3D interface. From there you can create up to seven sub accounts so each member of your family can have an account of their own. You can even put some parental type restrictions on the sub accounts.

All in all, it’s been great fun and they are adding more games weekly. Great value for the money.

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It has been a very interesting week for internet exploration for me… For both professional and personal reasons I keep a close eye on internet services and resources… One business that has really caught my eye over the last week more than any other has been Google…Previously I had only thought of Google in terms of their search engine but they have some new very exciting services coming out… In particular I’ve been very impressed by Google Suggest, Google Gmail, and Google Maps… These new services may seem like your typical search engine or mail system but the differences (though subtle) really set them apart in my opinion…

Google Suggest is an enhancement to their normal search form… While you type in the search criteria it will suggest words you might be looking for as well as how often those words come up in search results… This is very much like the autocompletion you’ll find in many desktop applications… Spend some time searching with this and you’ll start to see it’s value… I’ve found that at times I’d be starting to type out my keywords and based on it’s suggestions add other words resulting in more accurate searches…

Another big item from Google is Gmail at http://gmail.google.com/… This is their new mail service… Among other things this service boasts being able to search mail and group mail threads together in an easy to use interface… While it supports use of external mail programs I’ve found so far that their web interface is far more powerful (yet simple) for mail management than most stand alone mail readers I’ve seen… They also suggest you “archive” instead of delete your email as they give you 1000 megs of storage… I’m a little unclear as of yet what the “archive” process does with your mail but from testing it’s still accessible and searchable though it’s not visible in your immediate inbox… The web interface is clean, quick, and easy to use… It’s a definite winner…

Finally Google Maps is also making a big splash… Personally I’ve found it easier to pull up streets and directions than most map services… Their use of dynamic web content also adds to its success with sharp easy to read bubbles, smooth scrolling of maps, and dynamic sizing of the map based on your browsers current display area… Though a small thing, I really like their use of semitransparent lines for driving directions… Many sites use solid lines which can make reading the map under the line difficult… This isn’t the case with Google Maps…

All three of these tools are making it to my internet surfing arsenal… At the time of this writing they’re all in beta but, with the exception of Gmail, available for testing… Give them a spin and see for yourself…

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I came to a conclusion to my previous dilemma on how to best spend my gift certificates… Up until the last minute my intention was to purchase an iPod Shuffle… The problem was it came to my attention that their battery replacement program was far too expensive to cover a $150 iPod Shuffle… It wouldn’t be such a bad deal on a full sized iPod, especially if you get their maintenance program which costs half the price of the battery replacement and covers two years…So instead I went a very different route… I bought a 1 gig SD memory card for my RCA Lyra and a Macally FM transmitter… Ironically the transmitter was designed for an iPod but other than the iPod charger it comes with, it works just fine with other players… In fact I can highly recommend this transmitter… From the moment I took it out of the package, it has worked like a champ with no fuss… It comes with an AC adapter and a car adapter… Sound quality is excellent, though it’s tricky at first to find a good empty frequency to broadcast on… Even then it didn’t take too long to find one…

Now I can carry days worth of music with me and listen to it on the go… My next project on this will be to write a piece of software to synchronize my WinAmp play list with my player…

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