Finally, Microsoft has honored their promise of SP1, and it ushers in a startling amount of changes. I would have posted the release notes here, but they are several pages long and can be found here instead. The pack, weighing in at 434.5MB (or 726.5MB for the 64-bit version), rolls in 23 security updates and 550 hotfixes. Apparently the update is taking its sweet time showing up, and if you cannot wait to download it, here are the direct links:
Obviously realizing that there is some trouble afoot, Microsoft on Thursday announced price cuts on its most expensive versions of Vista and said those discounts will range from 20 percent to 48 percent. Ironically, those discounts are designed to coincide with the release of Vista Service Pack 1, which according to Microsoft, will usher in a slew of security fixes and improvements that should make the Vista experience much better. I’m still skeptical that Vista will ever truly get off the ground, and it looks like Microsoft is starting to wake up and smell the rotten eggs. Read the rest of this entry »
Firstly, a new development in the Middle East internet cable story has come in. Earlier this week, two cables were supposedly cut in the Mediterranean Sea by a boat anchor during a storm. The fact has now been revealed that those two cables were in a restricted area that no boats were allowed into. The cables are only 2 cm thick. It also seems that a third and possibly fourth cable has been cut and Iran had a short outage but is now operating at %40 capacity. Repair of the cables has been delayed so all traffic going through the Middle East and some of India will be significantly slowed.
EDIT: According to this article, a fifth internet cable has been cut.
Windows Vista SP1 has recieved an RTM status, which means that it is slated for a release in mid-March. Although it fixes some driver problems, it reportedly introduces some more, so Microsoft has made it a non-automatic update for those who have known errors. At least Microsoft knows that they have made mistakes. SP1 will increase operating speeds and should fix some other errors, but we’ll have to see once it comes out. Read the rest of this entry »
Confusion!
The sneaking around and giving wedgies is the best part.
Before going on stage for a concert in Oslo, Norway, rap artist 50 Cent did an interview with Pål Nordseth. Although most of the conversation involved his denial of using cocaine on live tv, the conversation eventually turned to file sharing.
Pål asked 50 Cent “How are G-Unit Records (the recording company he owns) doing in these times of file-sharing?
“Not so good.” he responded. “The advances in technology impacts everyone, and we all must adapt. Most of all hip-hop, a style of music dependent upon a youthful audience. This market consists of individuals embracing innovations faster than the fans of classical and jazz music. What is important for the music industry to understand is that this [piracy] really doesn’t hurt the artists.”
Organizations that support piracy like the Pirate Bay have been saying this for years, but this is the first time the words have come out of a successful artists lips.
50 Cent then went on to say: “A young fan may be just as devout and dedicated no matter if he bought it or stole it. The concerts are crowded and the industry must understand that they have to manage all the 360 degrees around an artist. They, (the industry), have to maximize their income from concerts and merchandise. It is the only way they can get their marketing money back.”
“The main problem is that the artists are not getting as much help developing as before file-sharing. They are now learning to peddle ringtones, not records” he said.
“They don’t understand the value of a perfect piece of art.”
To give a brief synopsis, 50 Cent believes that the fanbase that he would otherwise not reach because of the price of the music has a value in itself. Also, the merchandising from this fanbase makes up for the possible monetary loss.
In other news, Microsoft has devised a new system to make up for the recent doing away with some of the anti-piracy features of Vista. If one is willing to give up their computer privacy for three months, they can earn a copy of Vista or Microsoft Word 2007.
It works like this:
Ok, first of all, what software pirate would give up their privacy for three months?
Secondly, what person in their right mind would give up their privacy for three months?
Third, why would anyone want Vista anyway? A new operating system is likely to come out in 2008 anyway. For more on this, see this article.
EDIT: Microsoft pulled down their offer on Tuesday, due to large demand.
Apparently if one’s cpu fan fails while running windows, the computer may start randomly playing classical music. I have a hard time believing that this article is not a joke.
Today I’d just like to put out a review of WPchanger:
Wpchanger is a compact program that allows you to specify the amount of time between automatic wallpaper changes. You can save lists of wallpaper, and cycle through them in however short time you may want. The free trial is unlimited, but lacks features of the pro version like dual monitor streching wallpaper; it still applies the same wallpaper to each screen.
WPchanger gets my seal of approval.
This blog isn’t dead, the Wordpress admin was corrupted and it took months to pinpoint the problem. No joke.
Feed Yourself