system.reflecti0n.net

So another update for Mac OSX is out. Good for them. However, it is quite incredible how big a fuss the fanbois are making over the really lame new features.

For example, on Diggnation they paused to talk about tech for about five minutes this week, and KR went on about how the "Cool" new stuff in Leopard:

• some automatic copying service so you always have backup versions of your files,
• a virtual desktop,
• and a text-to-speech application

...yet, Windows XP has had all three of these features for years now:

• System Restore protected system files and has been around since WinME and Shadow Copy is a service that works in tandem with Win2003 that does versioning of any file you wish, the standalone Shodow copy is already available in the Vista beta;
• Virtual desktop has been a WinXP PowerTool available since at least 2002, Linux KDE/Gnome/et al have had this feature even longer;
• Text-to-speech has been a part of Windows going back to Win98, and possibly even Win95;

So this is a pretty good example of the halo effect of Apple, i.e., when Apple does it it's "cool". And if the fanboys had realized that Windows already had their own version of this, you have to wonder if they would have as readily accepted these new Leopard features as they did.

Mostly it confirms that the people making the most noise about what Apple does tend to have-their-head-in-the-sand when it comes to what is really going on in the tech world. They never look beyond the bubble of the Apple universe and that's just sad... Just as sad as anyone that believes the computing world begins and ends with a Windows or Linux PC.

Tags: apple, windows, leopard, mac, winxp

S'funny, since I started working from home and especially since the spring I notice how useless most weather reports are regarding rainfall and thunderstorms. I mean, they don't even come close alot of the time.

It's as if they are eagerly predicting rain most of the time, just to say "we're covered".

They cry "wolf" so no one complains when it does, but everyone will cheer when they're wrong.

Overall I'd say I am racked with doubt everytime I look at a weather forecast. On the one hand, it's sunny and I'ld like to go for a good long walk. On the other, the forecast promises this sunshine won't last and that haze I see in every direction from my 7th-floor apartment is actually just a thunderstorm brewing.

I've been let down so many times trying to avoid rainfall that would spoil a good afternoon in the park I just don't see the point in obeying another cry of wolf. I'm getting out of here and going umbrella shopping.

Radar map from WeatherUnderground.com

Tags: criticism, websites, weather

Google Toolbar Features for FireFox

Yesterday I installed Google toolbar for IE and was pleased to see that it integrates access to Google Bookmarks, a feature I use extensively at home.

Based on what I saw yesterday I decided to install Google Toolbar at home, in FireFox... In one shot I could extend my browser and replace an older extension for Google Bookmarks that is a bit feature-flat. So how disappointed am I that it Google Toolbar for FireFox doesn't include Google Bookmarks? Honestly, I don't know for how long I'll keep Google Toolbar. The only thing going for it right now is this nice "Blog This" button and the promise of intercepting "mailto:" links and directing them to my GMail account.

I suppose there's a chance the features in the FireFox version may eventually sync-up with the IE version so I'll wait it out for a while. In the meantime, I will see if I can ever make another blog-posting that names Google as many times as this one!

Tags: google, toolbar, installation, errors, gmail

Speaking as someone who has to tend to desktop support for a part of my living, I have to say the worst piece of software I have ever encountered is BlackBerry Desktop manager. Its not bad enough we got Norton AntiVirus slowing down things but then there's Desktop Manager piling it onto otherwise very usable computers.

Mostly the big issue is that there are so many versions of the software, its really easy to get the wrong version, plus their "service packs" are really the entire application written as a "patch" to the original application so they're the same size, but to start with a fresh install then go straight to a service-packed installation, you have to download TWO 30Mb downloads just to get the app off the ground.

Next, the users don't know how to use it, so any little hiccup means a phonecall to me. I don't use the stupid things, I don't want to, the tech support on blackberry.com is slow and unhelpful. UGH.

Next time I encounter a new client, I will be asking if they have a BlackBerry, and I will be raising my rates to make this aggravating piece of software worth my time.

Tags: blackberry, cell phones, installation, errors

Americans don't like driving their cars as much as they used to, according to one poll. The main culprits were traffic jams and sharing the road with rude drivers. No what else is it going to take to get people to leave their cars at home and stop choking our cities with smog?

The current temperature here is 36c, the smog is thick enough that its obscuring the bottom edges of the clouds. Yet if I were to step outside there will be people clogging up the roads with their cars, adding to an already poor situation. As any pedestrian can tell you, the amount of heat that a typical car pumps out of its radiator grille is enough to knock you over on a day like today. Makes be wonder how much car engines add to the ambient temperature of a city. Some meteorologists suggest that its enough to stall rain from falling on weekdays, making our weekends rainier because the drop in traffic on the weekend actually allows the air over a city to cool down enough to allow the rain to fall... how sickening is that?

read more | digg story

Tags: digg, environment, road rage