Chris Pirillo doesn’t like Vista

I’ve not tried the new version of Windows.  I have no idea if it’s as good or as bad as some people say.  But I’ve found Chris Pirillo’s commentaries are usually along the lines of what I would say if I wrote as well as he does.  So, see why Chris thinks Windows Vista is just lipstick on a pig.

I wish I was making this shit up – I really do. I also wish that someone at Microsoft would wake up to the fact that the user experience in Windows Vista is 10x worse than it was in Windows XP (if only because they couldn’t get developers to adhere to XP guidelines, and now Vista apps look even more Frankenstined).

I wish Microsoft would hire somebody to look at this stuff before it ships – and do something about the problems before the world has to deal with them.

Admittedly, it’s some pretty lipstick.  But still, Chris says it’s lipstick on a pig, and I’ll trust his judgement until I have a chance to try it myself.
[tags]Chris Pirillo, Microsoft, Vista, Lipstick on a pig[/tags]

Happy Birthday, Ms. Axe Master

180px-LizzieBorden1893.jpgBorn today in 1860 is the fabulous Ms. Lizzie Borden. She may not have been the prettiest or smartest girl in her class, but she could handle an axe like few others at that time. And, she was quite masterful at telling tall tales as to where she really was when the fateful event occurred.  There is so much to her tale and so much history in there.  Why not learn a little bit more about the dear young lady?

Despite her acquittal, Lizzie Borden remains in popular imagination as a brutal murderess. This is due in part to the following:

  • The murders were never solved.
  • For a number of years, on the anniversary of the murders, the more sensational press re-accused her of the crime.
  • The infamous doggerel endured, insinuating her guilt into the public mind thereafter.

The home where the murders occurred is now a bed and breakfast which enjoys considerable popularity. The house is also open for daily tours. Ongoing work has restored the home to a close approximation of its 1892 condition. “Maplecroft,” the mansion Lizzie bought after her acquittal, on then-fashionable French Street is privately owned, and only occasionally available for touring.

[tags]Happy Birthday, Lizzie Borden, Quality Axing[/tags]

Dealing with bike tire punctures – add a second tube

This guide at Instructables has the simple instructions needed to get a second inner tube put in your bike tire.  If you’ve ever suffered a puncture while biking far from civilization, you’ll appreciate this. My solution with my mountain bike was to buy kevlar tire liners, but this is a good method to try, as well.  With a second tube in the tire, if you get a puncture in the first tube, you just use your pump to inflate the second tube and off you go.

Pictures are included in case the write-up isn’t detailed enough.

Drill a hole in the rim of the wheel for the second valve stem at about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way around the rim from the original one. If your drill finds the going hard, start of with a small drill bit and gradually work up in size.

. . .

Things to consider – Drilling a hole in the rim will weaken it, ensure that the results of your drilling will be strong enough and avoid drilling directly opposite from the original hole creating a weakness accross the line of symetry.

[tags]Biking, Bike tire punctures[/tags]

UK scientists working to restore sight

(via Engadget)
In an effort to improve the lives of those who have lost their sight, scientists in the UK are working on an electronic optical implant that will give vision back to the blind.

Technology similar to that found in devices like digital cameras could be in use within a decade.

Dr Mathieson said: “By implanting a device into the eye, we hope we will be able to fool the brain into believing the retina is still in working order.”

. . .

Dr Mathieson said: “Advances in microelectronics have allowed us to develop a small device to be implanted on the retina itself.

. . .

The implant prototype has 100 pixels but the team hope that number will increase significantly as their work progresses.

Dr Mathieson, said: “Around 500 pixels would allow people to walk down the street and recognise faces.

The 10-year availabilty is a concern to me, but I really want this technology to come through. I always see stories of technology that is 10 years off and assume it’s at least double that, and likely further out. Just think of how many technology products that are 5 years away never even arrive. So I’m a bit dubious of this claim, but I do expect eventually this will come to pass.

[tags]Optical restoration, Visual implants[/tags]