The New Apple AirPort Extreme
Posted on January 31, 2007
Filed Under Macintosh, Uncategorized | 1 Comment
I’m tired of it. At least a few times a week, Eric shouts up from downstairs, “I lost the wireless again!” I’m in my office, connected via Ethernet to our Netgear WPN824 router. For no apparent reason, the @#$@% thing will completely lose its wifi. It’s not Comcast, since I can still work wired without a problem. It’s not Vonage, since I’ve switched the Vonage adapter to sit behind the router. It’s not a coverage issue, since it doesn’t matter if you’re 5 inches, 5 feet or 50 feet away. I’ve tried changing the channels. Nothing seems to work. The SSID disappears from all computers. It’s just the router being finicky. A few resets later, and the wifi is back until the next outtage.
So enough is enough…
Eric is out of the country next week (to Andorra this time) so having working wireless won’t be as important while he’s gone. Hopefully the new base station will be here by the time he gets back.
I could have purchased a much cheaper wireless router, but something tells me that this one will just work. Which is all I want.
New Post on WWD: 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Vista…Or Not
Posted on January 31, 2007
Filed Under Macintosh, The Bi-Platform Life | 1 Comment
Don’t roll your eyes.
I had been thinking of doing a constructive “why upgrade” post in some way that wouldn’t get me run out on a rail at WWD, and then Om suggested I do a “10 Reasons…” post. I’ve been following all the press, and have been entertained by how much of it is about Apple/Mac OS X.
I decided to do the post, but I set some ground rules for myself (and the readers) up front. No OS comparisons. Switching platforms is not an easy decision. It’s not something you do because one operating system has Instant Search and the other has Time Machine. It’s about the applications, the hardware, what collaborators are using, budget, lifestyle, etc. It’s the whole experience. So even though I may personally prefer the promise of Leopard over Vista, that’s not the point. A person with thousands of dollars invested in Windows hardware and software isn’t going to care that Mac OS X is better. And they’ll resent you for even making the point. Even when I introduced Windows into my work life 3 years ago, I had too much in Mac software to even think about making a full switch.
Posting about Microsoft software with a positive spin is dangerous business, but I did it anyway. I spent some time with the Windows Vista Business Test Drive (in Parallels) and read as many articles as I could about the new features. I wrote “10 Reasons for the Windows Web Worker to Upgrade to Vista…Or Not” looking at Vista’s productivity non-Enterprise features solely on their own merits or as they compare to similar features in Windows XP, forcing myself not to make any comparisons to OS X. In some cases, that wasn’t easy. After listing 10 reasons to upgrade, I listed 10 perfectly valid reasons not to upgrade. If I didn’t make those arguments, the commenters certainly would. Once again, not allowing myself to touch on a different operating system’s strengths as a bargaining point.
Truth is, if it wasn’t for all the reasons I gave not to upgrade, I would think about it. The search feature works very nicely (better than Spotlight, IMO). I like the fact that Microsoft Office documents have live preview icons in Explorer (in OS X, only images and PDF files have live preview). The very functional Windows Calendar exposes OS X’s iCal for the lightweight candy that it is. But no, I will resist. There are about 3,560 things on my to-do list that are better uses of my time right now than spending $200 and all the time to install Vista into my Parallels drive.
Ironically, one of the first places I noticed the post was picked up was on MacSurfer.com. Go figure.
Windows Vista launch will fall flat, but will still dominate eventually
Posted on January 30, 2007
Filed Under The Bi-Platform Life | 1 Comment
I’m learning that when I post about Windows on Web Worker Daily, you can almost hear the readership yawn. Folks are interested in talking about Mac OS X or Linux, and they love talking about Windows software. But they don’t seem to care about Windows itself. Sometimes the anti-Windows comments get downright testy. To most, Windows is something just tolerated. It’s what allows favorite applications to run. Not much more.
Niall Kennedy notes that a local Vista launch party was a dud. Not surprised. There are probably many more reports like that. Why? Because the early adopters have already adopted. With all the public betas and ways that people who wanted Vista could have gotten it, this launch is just for the everyday person. And the everyday person isn’t going to a midnight launch party. The everyday person is going to wait until their computer dies, they’re going to go to CompUSA and buy a new one, and when that new computer has Vista pre-installed, viola! they’ve upgraded. People line up for Mac OS X in part because Apple limits pre-launch distribution of the operating system to only the top developers and media, so the launch is a bigger deal to more users.
So while I don’t think people are going to run to the stores this week in large numbers to buy their box of Vista, it will still eventually be as ubiquitous as Windows XP is now in the home market. After a while, learning to use Vista on a new computer won’t be a big deal. But switching to Mac OS X or Linux is something that many people still won’t consider.
But I had to laugh watching coverage of the Vista launch on the Today show yesterday. Meredith Viera started the story with a walking, talking ad about what was so great about…Mac OS X! I could just picture Bill Gates sitting in his chair tapping his foot and mumbling, “You can stop telling the world how great Apple is anytime now, thanks.” Then Bill launched into his spiel talking about the Vista features like parental controls which have been in Mac OS X for years. “Imagine being able to set the time that your kids are allowed online.” Um yeah, Bill, I can imagine it, although the timing feature won’t be introduced until Leopard this year.
Until people are cursing, “Darn, I really need to run (whatever) but it’s only available for Mac OS X so if I want to use this, I better get myself a Mac,” nothing is going to change in the home market where the individual user has the most control. Small utilities are Mac OS X only, but few switch operating systems for a $30 piece of software. They should just market Vista honestly and get it over with…“9 out of 10 of you are going to be using this thing eventually in your home or small business, so why not now?”
I think Office 2007 is much bigger news. That’s what is going to change the way people really work. And it will matter to those of us who haven’t switched to Office 2007. I am not recommending that anyone at C3 upgrade to Office 2007 until we are all ready, because we exchange files so often.
Debating WordPress 2.1
Posted on January 28, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Decisions, decisions. Do I want to spend the time to upgrade now or wait?
On the one hand, upgrading WordPress can be a PITA. I learned that already. To do it right, you have to backup everything (not a big deal since I do that regularly anyway), disable all plugins, delete existing files, upload new files, run upgrade script, re-activate and test all plugins.
I have absolutely no idea if there are parts of my theme that won’t work. I did a search for “Proudly powered WordPress 2.1 Theme triSexuality Standard” to see if others with the same theme have upgraded successfully. There are a few. That’s a good sign. The direct link to the theme page now returns a 404 (page not found) which isn’t a good sign. I sent an email to the developer of the theme.
Why would I think about upgrading? Well, I have to work in Wordpress.com for Web Worker Daily and there are some goodies there that are in WordPress 2.1 that are definitely worth having. And the supposed speed increases wouldn’t hurt. Most of my plugins are supported.
Not on the compatibility list include:
Not on the list because no one bothered to put them there, or because there’s a problem? Who knows.
Maybe I’ll wait for 2.1.1, or for more sites to upgrade and live to tell the tale.
Wii Update
Posted on January 26, 2007
Filed Under Kids, Life | Leave a Comment
Eric is downstairs playing Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, so I thought it time for a quick update on our family’s favorite gathering spot.
Even though we now have Gamecube controllers, we just haven’t gotten around to downloading any of the classic games. Too much fun playing with the new stuff.
We have a Gamefly subscription and it’s the best $10 or so a month we could spend. We’ve now made a pact to only buy games that we’ve tried through Gamefly first. It’s like Netflix for video games. Had we tried Trauma Center through Gamefly first, we never would have bought it. I got bored of it quickly. The kids aren’t interested. We’re likely going to sell it back somewhere at our first opportunity. Interested? Make an offer.
The kids and Eric love Wario Ware. I played it once and I’m not as enthused. It’s a whole bunch of minigames, some suggestive of classic Nintendo games like Super Mario Brothers, Nintendogs or Animal Crossing.
My current favorite game, and one we ended up buying from Gamefly at a discount rather than send back, is Elebits. The concept is simple. You use the Wii remote to scavenge through a house looking for these little balls of energy to “capture.” The physics are fun. When you move items around, you can almost “feel” their weight. Like most games, in story mode you earn a grade on how you do, and you have to meet a minimum standard to clear the level and unlock others. Each time I’ve replayed a level, I’ve found something new.
We also have Excite Truck out. It’s fun. Emily and I are the only ones who have been somewhat successful at it. Eric is not good at the driving games. I do enjoy it, but it’s going back.
We previously had Rayman. Eric loved this one and we may use our credit for Trauma Center (assuming we sell it back to a store) towards its purchase. I didn’t get as much time to play with it as everyone else.
The new news channel is pretty cool, but we get the most use out of the weather channel to quickly check the temperature before heading out the door.
