Live Spaces Spaced Out & The Amazing Screw on Head

Spaces Spaced Out

If any of my old MSN Spaces blogging audience is reading this, you know that I switched over from the MSN Spaces blogging service back in July for various reasons. Just to explain a few, I found the lack of costumization, as well as the chessy looking interface, did not have the proper image I wanted to project to the Blogoshere. The fact is, with MSN Spaces, you could not insert things like Pictures or Video's into your posts. With Blogger, you can insert both pictures and video's into your posts. For those of us who are a bit more technically inclined, you can directly edit the template using either CSS or HTML code. And if your really into it you can create your own template using CSS. By using the Template edit feature in Blogger, it is possible to add links and buttons your sidebar. I've added my favorite Podcasts, News Sites, Blogs and Free Software. Of course I can alwasys add more if I so desire, however at this point I think that that would be enough. Anway back to the main point of the story, MSN spaces was upgraded to Live Spaces on August 1st. The Live version of it's predesessr, it included a bevy of new features including the ability to post photo's in albums (think Flickr), the ability to create lists (who makes lists?) and the ability to put Windows Live Gadgets(Widgets, think either Dashboard or Konfabulator) So basically all MSN spaces does is take all the features that other sites have come up with and copy them. Well, that's a very compelling reason to go back to spaces. Not. And the fact is, half of the so far users have reported probelms with half of he features. Yet another reason to go back to Spaces. Not.Blogger was the first blogging engine ever. Let me repeat that. First Ever. So when Microsoft comes along and thinks that it can waltz right into the Blogging market, and hope to take it over, they are totally and completly wrong. Now many people use Spaces for the shear sake of simplicity. Ok, I can understand that. But the fact is, with most of the products Microsoft designs, they are engineered to the people-who-could-care-less-about-what-the-techo-features -are. Well I've got some news for Microsoft. They're are people who actully care about what the Blog Looks like. If you didn't notice, I cahanged the layout the other day because I felt the blog needed a better more clean, bright image. The fact is, sites like LiveJournal, Blogger and TypePad will win the end, because of the fact they give they're more for the fact that actully put time and not just money into the development of it's software. The fact is, money doesn't buy everything, but time is priceless, that's why things like Gmail and Flickr are still in Beta. Anyway, the overall point of this is I will not be returning to Spaces anytime soon.
The Amazing Screw on Head
Mentioned in TWiT 62, the Amazing Screw on head is one of those cartoons that shows a plot that seems to be way out of contecgt at the time, but is actully quite amazing to watch. The Amazing Screw on Head is set in the days of the Civil War, the Amazing screw on head is about just that. It's a screw on head that has an amazing knowledge of ancient history, more specifically, the ancient evils and they're technologies. In the Pilot (I just watched it today.) The Amazing Screw on head is called in by President Abraham Lincholn to stop a plot to release a demon that will reek havoc on the world at large. The technology that is used is a variation shown in things like James Bond and the like. Just as an example, the mode of transportation is a steel capusle that is fired like a rocket. The show is just all action. It's a comedy as well. The Screw on Head (as he is called) has several people to help him. Irconically enough all the names of his support team begin with Mr. For example, his Butler and backup (think Alfred from Batman) name is Mr. Groin (yes that is his name, and you can stop laughing.) his dog is named Mr. Dog. But I digress. This is a really cool show and I hope that it goes from Pilot to series. Moreover I hope that it comes to Canada.
Well that's all I can think for tonight.
Nathaniel
P.S. Check out my New Blog that I'm doing with BoredSVUNut. Ranting Geeks. We posted last night and we will post again either tomorrow or Sunday Night.

Inclings of WWDC, The Destructo Drive, Editorial: The Death of Microsoft and Closed Source Standards

Inclings of WWDC

With WWDC only days away, the Apple Rumor mill has gone into overdrive, with the latest rumors comming from Engadget. Engadget speculates that Apple will release the must speculated and anticipated iPhone. They present several compelling argurments including the fact that when Apple released it's Q3 results, CFO Peter Openhiemer, when asked about the iPhone, Openhimer said "Were not sitting still". This coupled with the fact that Apple has partnered with an old flame, Mortorola for the Phones, gives the impression that Apple is using the ROKR as a prototype to see if it's worth developing a Mobile Version of OS X, or if they'll get Motorola to design it. The fact is Apple hardly ever outsources software work. But who knows? This may be the exception. Another rumor that's floating around WWDC is a patent that Apple filed for a few months ago. It concerns' the fact that Apple would like to either put an iSight Camera above the monitor or put the Camera inside the display itself. This would mean imbedding sensors directly into or behind the layer of Liquid Crystal. It has an entire Star Trek feel to it. The most likely rumors are the Introduction of the new Mac Pro, the realease date of 10.5 Leopard and maybe just maybe the introduction of Conroe and/or Merom Processors into the Low-Mid Range Macs. This would give me all the more reason to purchase a Mac Mini or the low end iMac, if the up the Processor speeds to at least 1.8 Ghz. My reason behing not using the 1.66 Ghz Mac Mini is this: I've been stuck behind a 1.6 Ghz Dell for almost five years now and it's driving me nuts. At Minimim I would like to have a 1.8 Ghz processor. I weant out tonight and priced a DIY PC built with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (2.16 Ghz) 2 GB RAM et cetera et cetera. If I'm going to invest in a Mac it will have to be fast. Becuase I'm not going to invest in something that is slower than a turtle stuck in molasses in a Canadian Deep Freeze. It's got to be fast enough to keep up with intensive web browsing, and have enough features to host a Digital Suite. This means (enventually) a Digital Camera, A Digital Video Camera, a NAS, a large music music collection and a large set up speakers. So, in order to get the most bang out of my buck, I'm going to either with the Low end iMac or a DIY PC. I'm not going to Dell to risk all my personal Data to something like Bad Memory. If I'm going to trust my Data to be secure on a Dell, these latest revolations about lack of quality are not very reassuring. I'd rather DYI my PC than trust a manufacturur. But I digress. Needless to say I'm waiting with baited breath from WWDC and when Steve Jobs walk's out onto that Stage in San Fransisco I'll be watching.

The Destructo Drive

Engadget has had some very interesting things on it's front page recently. But for the most bizarre/interesting piece of technology that I've seen in a while is Plextor's Plexeraser Destructo Drive. This like the Royal Media Destroyer is something that you'll want to keep out of reach of little brother and sisters, annoying friends (the one's that eat the last Oreo in the box, that kind that take your favorite Lord of Rings Novel and destroy it, that kind of thing.) The Drive essentially format's the disk like what a magnet does to a hardrive. It wipes any and all media off the drive. They are some really odd things that are going for Tech these days and this has to be one of most useful and/or most bizarre pieces of tech. But it could be useful. If you have certain CD's around the house that are annoying the heck out of you (heavy metal, hip-hop as examples.) You can basically destory the CD's and then you can use something like the Royal Media Destroyer to physically destroy the CD. Then when they ask "Where did my (insert name of artist here) CD Go?" shrug your shoulders and say "I havn't seen it."
Editorial: The Death of Microsoft and Close Source Standards
Microsoft is comming up on it's 31st birthday. For 31 years it has produced programs and and Operating systems. It has produced some of the richest men in the world. It has pinoneered software and revolutionized the Home PC. It has enabled small business' to have computer access on hundreds of machines on a five-figures budget. Well it was nice knowing you Microsoft, but know that you've suckered the world into buying your sub standard software the security holes you've put in our software. But now, since Linux and the Macintosh are gaining in popularity, we will no longer need your services. Linux is FREE. We no longer need to buy the $200-400 OS. We can order a CD for Free. Or if we really want to buy an OS, we can go ahead and get Mac OS X. Besides being more secure, it's much more versatile. The fact is there is no "plug and play" feature in Windows. There is plug-and-play feature in OS X. And it's so much easier to manage, edit and create things like Video, Pictures and Music. Although it takes a bit of getting used to, the Aqua Interface is much better and pleasing to the eyes than Windows. The fact is, Linux is open source. That enables you to customize the look and feel of the Linux and gives you flexibility with features. Although most software is not officially supppored on Linux, peeople like Miguel de Icaza and Ryan Gordon are porting games and other programs to help expand the library of software that is able to run on Linux. The fully completed Linux distro Unbuntu is becoming more and more popular. The fact is Open Source is becoming more and more popular. Programs like Firefox, Thunderbird and OpenOffice are evidence of this. Microsoft has become obsolete. Closed source standards are no longer acceptable in the world of technology. Like the Human Race, you must adapt to your conditions, or you will die. The case is the same for Microsoft. It must open up it's standards or it will be trampled into the dust. Companies like Google will surpass it will the new idea's, fresh look and acceptence for open source software make it a compelling force in the world of software. That's why Google has been so popular amoung the Geek community, and why Microsoft has been shunned. Microsoft's golden age is done. It will never be the same again. It will only be a mere memory to the Geek community in a matter of years.
That's my Rant for Today,
Nathaniel

Dell quality suffering?, DRM: Good or Bad? & Jason Calacanis: The Menace to Diggital Society

Dell Quality Suffering?

Not a day goes by that you don't hear about Laptop's exploding, battery swelling or discoloration. It seems everyone is suffering from defects in product these days. Most recently Apple has been the Victim. But the new Victim these days is Dell. Just in the past week two laptops have exploded, for unknown reasons. And the fact that Dell has outsourced it's IT support for customers is not going well with certain people. Even when you get hold of someone, they all seem to be idiots. Add to that the mass reacall of 20,000 batteries and Dell has a major headache. But that's not the end of problems just yet. Take the case of one, Renata, who recently replaced an againg Sony machine with an XPS 400, one of Dell's top of the line systems. You'd think that a system like this would adhere tot the highest standards of quality. Apperently not. Renata reports on his blog that he was being BSOD'd daily and the system was crashing on a regular basis. He called up Dell and they sent over an independent service tech. The service tech diagnosed a problem with both the motherboard ant the memory. Now, time for a little clarifaction. Renata had something like 2 GB of memory in his new XPS 400. So what did Dell tell the-honest-to-goodness independent support tech? To replace one of the four memory modules, close the box and then leave. That may not seem like a bad until you consider the fact that Renada has paid for 2 GB not the 512 that Dell wants to replace. You'd think Dell would be more intelligent. Couple this with the fact that notebooks are exploding and the delay of the new XPS 700 which has hundreds of thousands of orders sitting in a factory somewhere in the Far East. But I digres. The fact of the matter is when my parents bought our Demension 4400 back almost 5 years ago now, the fact is we went to Dell for quality. Likewise of my good friends' family is Apple through and through. You go to your company of choice, not for the fact that they sell great hardware, although that is a great thing to have, but for the great service. With Dell, I'm tempted to tell my parents about Dell and suggest that we find hardware provider when we upgrade to out next system. I think that quality at Dell has dropped off the deep end ever since Michael Dell stepped down as CEO and President in 2004. Although I've had few problems with my Dell Demension, I guess other's have and that's why so many people hate Dell. If Dell really want to regain customer confidence they're going to have to do a 180 and fast.
Why DRM Sucks
My brother brought home a Switchfood CD the other night. Okay, fine, I like Switchfoot. Well I did until I realized that the CD has DRM on it. Okay, I'm fine with DRM. All the Music I buy from the iTunes Music Store has FairPlay DRM on it. FairPlay doesn't interfere as long as I adhere to certain guidlines. And so far I've followed those guidelines. This DRM being used by-guess who, Sony is very limiting in what I can do with the Music on the CD. The CD will only be copied in WMA which means that it will not copy into iTunes, which means as well I can't copy it onto my Ipod. This just really ticks me off. If I go out and buy a CD for $10-18 CAN, I expect to be able to make X amount of copies of it (within reason of course) able to put it onto my Ipod and put it onto multiple computers.
In case anyone here is unfarmilliar with the Sony-Rootkit tabackle, I will be you a brief run through. Back in October of this year, it was disovered that Sony Corp, was using a DRM technology based on Rootkit technology. For those of you who don't know what a rootkit is, it is a program that allows files to be hidden, not just from the user, but from the Operating System itself. This is used commonly as a Hacker Tool and is used to hide things like Trojan Horses while they work. The program was poorly designed as well as securiy was lax and allowed Hackers to construct virus' that exploited the holes the rootkit created. They did and they created at least 2 of them. The Rootkit deleted, without question, any file that contained the extension $sys$.exe. I have nothing against DRM. I don't mind FairPlay, it doesn't get in my way it allows me to do what I wish with it. But when DRM gets into my way (Back to the Switchfoot) it really starts to tick me off. I'm kind of on the fence when it comes to DRM. I'll have to wait and see what happens in the next few months or years.
Jason Calacanis: A Menace to Diggital Society
Digg has become a fixture of the Web 2.0 in the past few years. Started by Kevin Rose in 2004 after he left TechTv it now has well over 8.5 million unique visitors and was seeing 3000+ stories posted a day. Jason Calacanis, another Web 2.0 start up, started Weblogs Inc in 2003. The network consists of about 90 blogs that cover a variety of topics, including Gaming and Technology. Most notable amoung these is Engadget. Web Logs Inc. was sold to AOL for a reported $25 in 2005. However, the network retains it's original structure. Now a VP at AOL he was offered a chance to save Netscape.com. Once the Kingpin of Web Browsers Netscape's share slid under the direction of AOL when it was purchased by the former in 1998. Netscape 6 was built around the Mozilla Source code, which, at the time was far from stable. This blunder by AOL was another contributing factor the demise of Netscape. And AOL wants to save it? As Patrick Norton would put it "It's a smoking Crater". Well put Patrick it is and the fact is, that Netscape cannot be resurrected. Weather you redesign it or not, Netscape will never be what it once was and the fact is that the Geek community is not a bunch of idiots and Calacanis implies. Calcanis think's it's all about money. It's not about money. It's about having the respect of the community. It's not about earning $1000 a month by submitting a bunch of stories. I have much more respect for Kevin Rose, who is a much of a Geek's Geek where Calacanis is a white collar who could't tell you the difference between CSS and XHTML. Kevin can. He worked for the Department of Energy, Designed Digg from the ground up. He holds a degree in computer science and can correctly calculate how much Themite it takes to incinerate a Hard Drive. Okay, so maybe that's not that best example but Kevin know's his stuff and Jason may very know some stuff, but the fact is, once you enter the coperate machine, all your individual knowledge goes out the window. The bottom line is Jason is doing more harm then good for Netscape as it just alienates the remaining userbase of Netscape as well as large digg community (over 440,000) and the even larger Geek community. My advice is this: Jason, if you want to create positive spin Think of something new! Don't go around ripping off Digg!
Later,
Nathaniel