Interstingly, Engadget just posted a review of the Bose SoundDock, and concluded it costs too much:

“We like its looks, but $300 is just a bit too pricy for us, especially without stereo separation greater than three feet and no other audio inputs besides the iPod connector. Next!”

What's so interesting about that? Well, it also happens to be the single item they're advertising for sale the past several days in their RSS feed...

Editorial freedom, or just another oopsie?

AnandTech has a review of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, that - well - tops all the other reviews for word count, clarity and how deep they get into the software. If you're at all interested in learning about this version of the Windows XP operating system, check out the 17 pages of detail, detail, detail:

http://www.anandtech.com/multimedia/showdoc.aspx?i=2240

(from digitalmediathoughts.com)

Saw this coming, had a discussion with a colleague this morning about it, and Security Pipeline has an article about it.

Google's desktop search (in public beta) indexes local machine content to let you search though it and quickly find stuff on your computer.

Problem is, it might let others find and read your stuff if your computer is used by anyone other than you. Hmmm. Details...

From the article:

If you're the computer's only user, the software is helpful "as a photographic memory of everything you've seen on the computer," said Marissa Mayer, director of consumer Web products at Google Inc. The giant index remains on the computer and isn't shared with Google. The company can't access it remotely even if it gets a subpoena ordering it to do so, Mayer said.

Where the privacy and security concerns arise is when the computer is shared.

Type in "hotmail.com" and you'll get copies, or stored caches, of messages that previous users have seen. Enter an e-mail address and you can read all the messages sent to and from that address. Type "password" and get password reminders that were sent back via e-mail.

Acknowledging the concerns, Mayer said managers of shared computers should think twice about installing the software until Google develops advanced features like password protection and multi-user support.

Integrated instant messaging that extends its presence and person information to other products, and which reaches outside itself to integrate with other communication products, is on the way. This is a big part of Microsoft's move into the VOIP world.

From Microsoft Monitor:

Earlier today, Microsoft announced the new Office messaging client, codename Istanbul, which is scheduled to ship first half 2005.

Through Istanbul Microsoft plans to bring disparate messaging capabilities, such as IM and telephony, right into Office. To get there Microsoft will deliver new identification capabilities to its server products and the hybrid 'Live Communications' IM client.

Istanbul is yet another Microsoft effort to pull technologies into Office and so extend the suite’s utility. Remember that address book, calendar and e-mail features existed in separate products before Microsoft brought them into Office through Outlook, which hooked into Exchange Server. The Live Communications Client will bring IM, telephony and identity services into Office, but, again, connected to a server product.

I'll be going on vacation this coming weekend for a week plus a couple additional days. I'll be able to post the details when I get back, but for now let's just say it's going to be a very, very different kind of vacation, and I am definitely looking forward to the experience. That 5GB Seagate CF-II hard drive that I ripped out of the Rio Carbon MP3 player is finally going to get its real workout in my digital camera.

Microsoft has released Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack One. If you're using VPC2004, you'll want to review, download and likely apply this update.

• Get the VPC 2004 SP1 download here
• Get the Service Pack Readme file here

Lots of fixes and improvements in this service pack, so be sure to take a look.

More information about the service pack from the Microsoft site:

SP1 also includes the following additional software updates

• A new Virtual Disk Precompactor. A utility that is designed to "zero out"—that is, overwrite with zeros—any available blank space on a virtual hard disk.

• Updated version of Virtual Machine Additions.

• Update to support TCP segmentation offloading. Prior to SP1, if TCP Segmentation Offloading was activated, some virtual networking features would not function correctly. With SP1, if your physical network adapter supports TCP segmentation offloading, you can activate TCP segmentation offloading, and virtual networking will function correctly.

• Update to support Group Policy Software Installation. For more information about Group Policy Software Installation, see Help and Support Center in your Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system.

• Update to change the default performance option from Give processes on the host system priority to Run Virtual PC at maximum speed.

• The hotfix described in article 833506, which describes how Virtual PC 2004 may stop responding when a virtual machine is started, in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack 1 (SP1) contains the latest software updates for Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 that improve the reliability, performance and manageability of Virtual PC. Updates have been made to improve the performance of Windows XP Service Pack 2 as a guest in Virtual PC, to improve the manageability of virtual machines when used with SMS 2003 Service Pack 1, and to provide support for running Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition as the host operating system.

Some of the fixes included with SP1 have been previously released as separate updates. This service pack combines them into one update.

Important: You must shut down or turn off all guest operating systems before installing SP1. This ensures that there are no virtual machines in a saved state. This is important because saved states are not compatible between SP1 and all previous versions of Virtual PC 2004.

Service Pack 1 includes an updated version of Virtual Machine Additions. You should update the version of Virtual Machine Additions on all virtual machines where Virtual Machine Additions is installed. For more information, see "Installing Virtual Machine Additions" in Virtual PC Help.

In a well-written and well-argued article on Security Pipeline, Mitch Wagner tells us the story of the little pigs and their houses of straw and brick, and then draws from the story to illustrate the state of Internet security, stating:

"The preceding has been a fairy tale with no bearing on the current state of Internet security."

Except that it really does. Have a bearing, that is.

Wagner's analysis of the arguments on both sides of the browser wars is interesting and well-explained.

Secure coding and design wins the argument every time - with regard to secure applications, that is. Of course, functionality, usability and other aspects of computer programs have to come into play and be taken into account, as well. But ultimately, the structural materials with which you build your house (be it brick or straw) determine whether you'll survive the hurricane. Or the wolves....

The little pig's big brother said, "Dude, you can't blow down a brick house. Brick is fundamentally more resistant to huffing and puffing."

Good point, Mitch.

Microsoft has published 2005 calendar templates for Word, Excel, FrontPage and PowerPoint:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT011371131033.aspx

Greg Hughes says :   22:18:30 i went to the apple store tonight Eric Rice says :         22:18:34 yeah? Eric Rice says :         22:18:40 felt good, didnt it? Greg Hughes says :   22:18:41 the prices are fixed? Eric Rice says :         22:18:44 yup Greg Hughes says :   22:18:48 hahahha yeah they are nice machines Eric Rice says :         22:18:56 you touched them too Eric Rice says :         22:19:00 in a naughty way i bet Greg Hughes says :   22:19:04 i thought i would not like the new imac g5 but really they are pretty nice Eric Rice says :         22:19:06 'wow this is sleek' Greg Hughes says :   22:19:10 LOL Eric Rice says :         22:19:13 YOU DID Eric Rice says :         22:19:14 hahahaha

It must be the Devil. It has to be. It's the only reasonable explanation I can think of.

I confess: I've been seriously considering buying an Apple computer for a few weeks now - Probably a PowerBook G4, if I ever actually get to the point where I break down and make the switch.

Why? Well, there are certain things the Mac does very well, and certain pieces of software that are available only on that platform. Software that I want and need. Well-made software that just works. Hardware that fits together well.

At GnomeDex there were a gazillion PowerBooks around. Eric Rice uses one and I got to see it in action. I got jealous quickly. It was really quite pathetic.

So - If someone can help me find a good Windows-based alternative, for example, to GarageBand on the Mac, I'm all ears. I mean, If I can keep from spending money on a whole new computer just to solve a few "problems," that's more than fine with me.

But dude, Apple has this way of making things that just work.

If I really need to, I know I could run Windows XP on the Mac inside of MS VirtualPC. Nothing is impossible. But hey - why can't I run Mac OS X on a PC in a virtual machine? Anyone? Seems kinda one-sided, or maybe it can be done I and I just don't know it... Time to look for PPC/Mac emulators that run on Windows?

But it's not just the software. Don't tell anyone, but I spent most of this evening at CompUSA in the Mac section, and then over at the Apple Store at the mall. Their hardware is very well done. I even like the new iMac G5, very cool.

I must be going insane. Apple??? Either that, or maybe I'm actually having a breakthrough and coming back to reality.

I wish I could tell which it is.

In this amazingly fast-growing (like, really fast) phenomenon called podcasting (yes, I am willing to use the terms phenomenon and podcasting when discussing this, even if I don't particularly like the name), it's hard to always know which way is up. So, it's also hard to know where to go and what to do with all this stuff, both as a content creator and a consumer/end user of podcasts.

Heck, it's difficult enough just to explain to people what podcasting is, let alone how it works. Of course, it's early in this experiment, and we'll certainly have to improve things from the usability standpoint. But still, it's truly amazing what's happened in the past month or so in this portion of the universe.

Enter Doppler [http://www.dopplerradio.net/], a client program that runs on Windows and raises the bar in terms of making it easier for the end user to subscribe to podcasts without too much hassle. In other words, this is just the kind of thought and change that needs to happen to make podcasting a mainstream application. As a community we're not there yet, but with ideas like this and a few people to kick them out the door, we will be before too long.

The best part is, it just works. It makes subscribing to podcasts easier. It makes sense to use. It makes life simpler.

Features

• Doppler is designed for the Windows platform
• Drag and drop a URL onto Doppler
• Scheduled interval to retrieve feeds
• Specify the numer of files to download
• Restrict the allowable size of downloads
• Filter your items by text
• Possibility to run in minimized mode
• Import and export of OPML files

Doppler is an aggregator that downloads podcasts based on RSS feeds, and lets you listen to it the way you want it, whenever you like it, on the device of your choice. Doppler has been developed using the latest Microsoft .NET technology and is available as a small download sizing less than 500 KB.

And Doppler has been alive for something like, oh, three days. And work continues on adding features and shoring it up as we speak type. Or maybe it is speak. Oof...

Go download it and try it out.

Among the many, many new Media Center PC news items to hit the street this past week, I forgot to mention one that has had me all excited ever since it was first mentioned some time ago: The Media Center Extender for Xbox.

I'm in the process building a Media Center Dev Machine so I can work on a few tech ideas I want to explore and try. Since I already have an XBOX, I will probably pick this title up and use it to set up part of my Media Center network at home. I just have to work out the details around tuning the satellite box and whether I am going to be able to get a decent Portland HDTV signal out here (and hence which capture device and tuner I'll use and whether I have to use one or two tuners).

The Xbox title is one of the Extender line (a set-top box is also available) that Microsoft is releasing with this new version of their media-centric operating system.

Information from xbox.com:

With a wired or wireless connection to the Media Center PC (sold separately), the Xbox console now allows you to enjoy the digital entertainment media from your PC when and how you want. The included remote control and IR receiver also support DVD movie playback. Just grab the remote, drop in the Media Center Extender DVD in your Xbox, and get ready for an entertainment revolution! A whole new world for your Xbox awaits …

• Watch and record television shows.
• Enjoy a free integrated TV Program Guide with no fees.
• Access your Media Center PC’s digital media library music, videos, and pictures.
• Stay connected with instant messaging and Xbox Live™.
• Watch DVD movies.
• Listen to FM and Internet radio.

Screen-shots are available at xbox.com:

Transcript Excerpts... (the full transcript is here) BEGALA: Let me get this straight. If the indictment is -- if the indictment is -- and I have seen you say this -- that... STEWART: Yes. BEGALA: And that CROSSFIRE reduces everything, as I said in the intro, to left, right, black, white. STEWART: Yes. BEGALA: Well, it's because, see, we're a debate show. STEWART: No, no, no, no, that would be great. BEGALA: It's like saying The Weather Channel reduces everything to a storm front. STEWART: I would love to see a debate show. BEGALA: We're 30 minutes in a 24-hour day where we have each side on, as best we can get them, and have them fight it out. STEWART: No, no, no, no, that would be great. To do a debate would be great. But that's like saying pro wrestling is a show about athletic competition. CARLSON: You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think. STEWART: You need to go to one.

I don't exactly match up with Jon Stewart on political viewpoints, but ultimately that doesn't really matter. Regardless of whether I agree with him on all the issues, he became a hero to me the other day.

Because Jon Stewart gets it.

I mean, how pathetic has the world become when a self-proclaimed "fake-news" anchor from Comedy Central can appear on CNN's Crossfire and completely own the show (get the torrent video here), lecturing the anchors and effectively applying labels to them like "partisan hack." And the anchors push back and ask Stewart why he asks "soft" questions on his show?

Time to look in the mirror, uberjournalists.

Host Paul Begala understandably came off (relatively speaking) as the good guy on the CNN crew side, and Tucker Carlson, who really just gives a bad impression of many people with whom I tend to agree politically, came off as the "butt monkey."

It's not about politics, it's about the responsibility of journalists.

For the record, I went to college becasue I wanted to be a journalist, specifically a photojournalist. I worked in the media for seven years before changing careers. I met lots of good people and some real partisan hacks in the process. The fact of the matter is that there are a lot of people out there with strong political view who are smart enough to figure out early on that if they can get jobs in the media, they can communicate pretty much anything they want to "the people." Unfortunately almost everyone enters the world of journalism (meaning they enter J-school) at an age when beer, beer, more beer and idealism run rampant.

It's not exactly a level-headed, based-in-life-experience time for anyone at that age, socially or politically.

Unfortunately, some people never grow up. They just go on painting wide swaths, never really removing themselves from the situations to take an honest look. It becomes all about political positions, conflict as a selling point and seeing who can be the loudest, meanest or most controversial.

What they don't do is have a good conversation and look at the facts. They don't talk to people, they yell at them.

Unfortunately, apparently some people out there buy it, because they keep doing more of it. Which - well - sucks.

There are some out there in the media that talk about the real issues without trying to create them, and without becoming a part of the issues themselves. They are just fewer and farther between.

One thing's for sure: Setting all partisan views aside, we need more people like Jon Stewart to call the media on the carpet and tell it like it is, regardless of what party or side they support.

Oh, and a good laugh every now and then is fine with me, too.

Robert Scoble over at Microsoft got a look at prototypes for the next version of IE and commented:

Dean Hachamovitch the other day showed me prototypes of the next Internet Explorer. I got to see them before he even showed them to other executives. He told me I could say about that much (I wanted to post screen captures on my blog, but he turned down that request, bummer). I'll add in that if they ship about half of what they showed me that I'll uninstall Firefox. Of course, I'm guessing that...

Read more at Robert's blog

---

.--------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Session Start: Friday, October 15, 2004                            |
| Participants:                                                      |
|    Greg Hughes                                                     |
|    Dave                                                            |
.--------------------------------------------------------------------.
[01:06:01 AM] Dave: man im mean, girlfriend is having trouble
              with her pc, and i tell her its an id10t error and that
              they are quite common and shes like Oh no can you fix
              it?
[01:06:10 AM] Greg Hughes: hahahahah
[01:06:16 AM] Greg Hughes: heh
[01:06:42 AM] Dave: i thought she knew what it ment
[01:10:47 AM] Dave: havent the heart to tell her now
[01:12:54 AM] Greg Hughes: hehehe just dont let her read my blog :)

---

Don't worry, Dave - I'm sure she won't be reading this, so you're safe!

YAPBE (Yet Another Political Bog Entry) (Well, ok - no position here, just something about the political contest)

I have been using two main web sites over and over again to check reality and the status of the current political race (which I am very interested in both from an issues standpoint as well as from the position of being a person who is quite interested in the mechanics of the political process).

Here they are - I recommend both highly:

The Electoral Vote Predictor at http://www.electoral-vote.com/ provides a look at where the electoral college appears to be on a daily basis, based on the latest polling data. The interactive map is cool, and I check this daily. [RSS 2.0 feed available here]

FactCheck.org (yes, we know it's not .com) is one of the greatest resources I have found for cutting through the crap and getting to the simple facts. They analyze the messages out of the campaigns and compare/contrast them to the evidentiary facts. Nice. And while the site don't actually have an RSS feed, I sponsored the creation of one for them, so subscribe to the feed at this link [RSS 2.0].