If you're a MSN Messenger user and you have not yet tried the free Messenger add-on called Messenger Plus!, you're missing out. Cruise on over to download a copy and see all the extras you can get.

I have been using Messenger Plus! for well over a year, and I find myself using many of its features all the time. The logging is great, and the floating messenger contacts capability is very cool. I can also use it to associate special sounds with individuals and their actions - so when Tim logs on, for example, timmy_scream.wav plays instead of the default Messenger sound. Heh... And the emoticon sounds thing is cool, too.

There's also a whole slew of plug-ins available. Click on the Plug-ins link that you'll find on the download page for a complete library. One of my favorites is the IRC-style plug-in that lets me type things like "/me slaps himself upside the head."

Click to download it:

About the sponsor program that comes with the software: When you install Messenger Plus!, you'll be given an opportunity to choose whether or not you want to install a "sponsor program" (this is how the author makes a few bucks for his work). I'm glad Patchou, the author, allows people to opt out of this when installing, since some people either cannot or don't want to install that kind of software. The sponsor is C2 Media, and it installs a toolbar in IE and adds some commercial advertising. You don't have to install the sponsor program if you don't want to.

Note: If you're not already on my contact list, my MSN Messenger address is the same as my email:

• greg(at)greghughes(dot)net

Feel free to add me if you like...

I'm having a little fun (while taking my coffee intravenously this morning) manually browsing Google Maps and satellite images from around Portland.

There's these incredibly huge cargo ships that have TOYOTA printed in enormous red letters down their sides. They show up in Portland regularly and fill up the parking lot in the picture at right (map link) with brand new cars. From there they are taken all over the states, I am told. And let me tell you, that lot holds a whole bunch of cars.

When you see that big Toyota ship actually coming at you on the Columbia river, it's pretty impressive. Maybe the next satellite pass will catch it in port. I looked down the rest of the river to see if it might be in any images between port and the Pacific, but not to be found. Unfortunately, a large part of the Columbia between Portland and the ocean is only available as low-res images. My house is in a similar predicament, resolution-wise (and no, it doesn't bother me if people know where I live).

Wired News had an article about interesting things in satellite images. Makes me wonder what else is out there in sat-imagery land?

Other stuff UPDATE: Planes in flight

Adam Cogan IM'ed me this morning with some cool news: Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2 was released to MSDN's Subscriber Downloads web site over the past couple of days:

Just as we're about to start a new round of software evals - perfect timing! It will be interesting to see what people in the community think about the new releases.

I've recently gone on a run of trying all kinds of new devices in the PDA/MobilePhone/Email-Enabled-Device arena. I have used various Blackberry devices for a few years now (and have been using the Blackberry phone devices since they were first born). I have occasionally moved to other devices to try them out and see if they would suffice for use in my work. Recently I undertook that sort of project, evaluating various mobile carriers and their networks and devices, so it's been a real gadget-land around these parts since around the first of the year.

I won't be writing about the networks and service providers (maybe some other time), but I did want to catalog some of what I encountered, the geeky part of the project: All these nifty mobile devices.

It's worth noting right up front that as a general rule, I've pretty much always been disappointed with more-than-just-a-phone devices whenever I've tried them, for one reason or another. My experience has been the same with most of this latest run of devices I have tested. Also, I wrote this entry/review over the course of the past couple months, going back to it periodically to document bits of my experience over time.

To cut to the chase, let me jump to the end of my story briefly: As of yesterday I am back (by choice) with a Blackberry phone from Cingular - the very same model of phone I had before this whole testing process started. It's a RIM 7290 device. And that's a choice I made after using a whole slew of what people say are the coolest, newest phone/PDA/email/whatever devices.

You know what they say - Once you've had Blackberry, you can never go backberry. Or, uh, something like that... Sorry. Bad joke. But it's true.

My recent device trials (and tribulations) have included the Audiovox 5600 smartphone running Windows Mobile 2003 from AT&T/Cingular (which has been the rage among bloggers the past several months - it's unofficial nickname is the "Scoble Phone") and the Blackberry 7100t phone from T-Mobile. I've also used the Blackberry 7100g (Cingular) and the PalmOne Treo 650, both from Cingular. Rounding out the list was the Siemens SX66 device, which has a slide-out keyboard and WiFi built in, running the PocketPC Phone Edition of Windows Mobile 2003.

In each case, there were things I liked about these devices, and there were things I didn't like.

Audiovox 5600 SmartPhone (running Windows Mobile 2003 - ATTWS/Cingular)

I'll give Audiovox kudos for making a really cool phone in the gadgety sense, but I have to give it lower scores in terms of it's practical utility. Keep in mind, I use this kind of device as a tool, one that I use constantly for communicating and staying in touch for work. The "Scoble Phone" has been hyped up as the only device you'll need to carry around, and it has all kinds of nifty things on it, like mobile MSN Messenger, Windows Media Player, the ability to use Mini-SD cards for tons of extra storage, a built-in still/motion camera (of very mediocre quality), etc. But the software apps are a little glitchy, and I lost count of how many times this thing either reset itself or required me to pry the battery out of the back and replace it in order to get it started and working again. On top of that, while the geek/nifty factor is fairly high (I can see how Windows Mobile is a useful and appealing mobile OS), the practical/regular use score is low - it just doesn't work that well for me, beyond its simple use as a phone and SMS device. Text input is T9, which is cumbersome at best and impractical for work. Bluetooth for hands-free use worked somewhat reliably, but was problematic from time to time. Audio quality was good. It's small and compact and has a certain "neato" quality. But it doesn't allow me to quickly and efficiently communicate, except via voice calls. I handed it back. I liked the phone, but it didn't work for me, not even close. And by the way - as of the time of this writing, Cingular is not offering the phone on its web site.

Blackberry 7100t (T-Mobile) and 7100g (Cingular)

These two devices are essentially identical in terms of the guts and the software running on them, but the Cingular device has a better form factor and body/shell - It's a lot more solid, the keyboard is laid out better and is easier to use, and I get a strong feeling it would last longer than the T-Mobile model in a durability sense. Text input is a unique hybrid type - the keyboard has a standard qwerty style layout like all Blackberry devices, but instead of one letter per key like others by RIM, the 7100 series has two characters per key. It does the predictive text thing, a lot like T9 does on a mobile phone keypad, but it's considerably more accurate and a lot faster to type with. Making the move from a standard-keyboard Blackberry to this device takes a little getting used to, but after a few days I found myself fairly comfortable with the layout. Bluetooth hands-free functionality was flawless and reliable - better than the Audiovox phone. RIM figured out some good things with this device, but there are a few things missing that keep it from being a truly killer device: There's no MP3 support like you get in the other phones tested, and the ear-piece audio level at max volume is painfully quiet (a common complain with Blackberry phones that really needs to be addressed). There's no camera, and since this is a biz-class device, that makes sense. But RIM should really consider building a model with a camera option, an SD slot, MP3 capabilities, an MP3 voice recorder, MSN instant messaging (they included Yahoo! and AOL on this one, so why the heck not), and better audio capabilities (ring tones, music, etc). In fact, a Windows Mobile device that actually shipped with the vaporware (to date) Blackberry Connect software package would have me running for the store. But, progress is progress, and all in all the 7100 is a pretty good tool that makes some improvements on earlier models. But hey, put the standard RIM keyboard back, please - if it ain't broke, well - you know... I returned both these devices as they were loaners, but I'd recommend them to others, and a few people I know have bought these recently - and they're thrilled with them.

PalmOne Treo 650 (ATTWS/Cingular)

Topping out in the community's collective Bling! category is the PalmOne Treo 650, a nice looking and feeling PalmOS-based SmartPhone with lots of counterintuitive functionality and mediocre documentation. Now I remember why I left the PalmOS behind a few years ago. You'd think I'd have remembered, but sometimes we just need to be reminded. This is another phone with a so-so-quality camera built in (better in overall image quality than the Audiovox 5600, but with the same low 640x480 resolution). It has a full keyboard built on, which is arguably it's most redeeming factor, but in daily use the keyboard feels lumpy, klutzy and crowded compared to any RIM/Blackberry device I have used. The Treo uses a touch screen and a slide-out stylus for screen navigation, as well as a set of directional and select buttons. The screen is bright and contrasty, which is nice. Battery life is fairly limited when you're actually using it. Call audio is excellent, and is louder in earpiece volume when compared to the other devices mentioned here. The email setup and use of multiple email programs ranks a "so-so" score, and overall it was clunky to use. I can't count how many clicks, scrolls and stylus gestures/touches it took to do even the simplest activities. If I am sitting in a chair, have some time, and have both hands completely free and nothing else to distract me, I can use this device. But I don't want to. Returned to sender, can't recommend it.

Siemens SX66 PocketPC Phone (running Windows Mobile 2003 - ATTWS/Cingular)

I was excited about getting my hands on this device, and hopeful that it would meet my needs and satisfy the usability/utility requirements. I also hoped it would have Blackberry Connect software on it, as was advertised some places and rumored at others. It didn't have it, but I tried it anyhow. The first things I noticed was that I was able to use it with my Exchange server (the Audiovox device crapped out if I tried to use a "space" character in my password. I had thought [assumed] the inability to use a space in a password was a limitation of the OS, but this device proved me wrong). The screen on this thing is very nice, and the backlight is bright and contrasty. Bluetooth worked better than any of the other devices in hands-free mode, and the keyboard makes it more accessible and usable than the Audiovox device by far. But the keyboard's pimple-style chicklet bubble layout was painful to use in the real wold - keys are tiny and way too close together unless you;re six years old (probably not the target market). Battery life was pretty awful, especially if you use the WiFi at all. Even without using WiFi, the battery was dying on me regularly between charges, and since there's no USB charging with this thing I could not charge it in the car or anywhere convenient (You have to charge in the cradle, which is plugged into the wall via a power adapter, or you use the same wall plug adapter with a socket adapter to go straight to the device. So be prepared to be tangling the wall adapter cord up a lot to carry it with you everywhere, or else plan on a dead phone periodically - dumb). To top it all off, this morning I grabbed the device and went to turn it on, but it did not respond. Yet, the little green service light was flashing so I knew it had power to it. I pulled the battery put it back (the Windows Mobile version of CTRL-ALT-DEL), but still no response. I started driving to work and tried it again while I was stopped for coffee at the local store. Voila! Up it comes, but totally reset, nuked, blown away, default ROM settings - everything I had set and stored before was gone. Good thing the important stuff was on my SD card... I've read and heard rumors of serious software problems with this phone, and when you combine that with the lame keyboard that looks cool but isn't at all usable, well... Returned, with prejudice.

Back In Black - or, Right Black Where I Started From

So, as of this morning I am back running on a Blackberry 7290 phone with the latest, solid Blackberry software. This is the same model I gave up a few months ago to do the testing. Sure, it's not as fancy in many ways as the 7100-series, but it's got the best keyboard and it works, works, works. And probably the best test of all was this: Within one minute of picking this thing back up and setting a couple of device options to something other than BB's defaults, I suddenly found myself orders of magnitude faster and more productive than I was with any of the other devices I'd tried.

RIM got something right when they built the Blackberry. Then they added a phone to the device. Then they did this funky keyboard thing with the 7100 that works pretty well. It works, and it is usable.

There's a great book I've held onto for a few years now called "Don't Make Me Think" by author Steve Krug. It's all about usability (as related to web design, but that doesn't matter, the same concepts apply here). The reasons the Blackberry devices are all so good is because they are truly intuitive - I don't have to spend my time clicking and clicking and tapping and clicking just to try to find some simple function, and the user interface is so intuitive it becomes almost reflexive to use. RIM wins because their devices have utility. It's because they're reliable. It's because they're usable. I have confidence that RIM/Blackberry will keep that as their core philosophy, and so I am very much interested to see what will come next from the company.

But damnit, I still want to see and use a good, reliable phone that runs Windows Mobile latest edition, with Blackberry Connect software on it! PLEASE! There's a lot of room for growth, and it's not all about smaller, smaller, smaller, or geekier, geekier geekier... It's all about usable, usable, usable. Size is just one part of usability. Geeky is fun, but not always practical. Who will end up winning this game? Can't wait to see.

But for now, Blackberry's in the lead in my book.

It's amazing how far we have all come.

I can sit here in the PDX (that's Portland, Oregon) airport, and in all of 10 minutes resolve a minor work crisis, post a new web page to a business web site and get it reviewed and approved, order flowers to be delivered for my mom's birthday today (Happy Birthday Mom!), sync all my email into Outlook from the office, IM with my web hosting provider (who is in the UK) about trapping email viruses, answer a few work emails, and post this blog entry.

All that thanks to free 802.11G WiFi at the airport, with a full signal and none of those get-your-email-etc registration hassles. So nice.

I have a full hour before my flight leaves (traffic was, thankfully, quite lite). Who knows what all I'll be able to get done between now and then.

It used to be that waiting at the airport meant you were completely out of touch unless you wanted to use an airport pay phone (never my favorite thing, either financially or from a hygiene standpoint). Anymore you can't help but be connected and active. I may be flying off to Reston Virginia, but my ability to communicate and stay productive is hardly affected.

It's true that there are some negative effects of always being connected. Stress from overconnectedness (ohhhhh new word, cool...) is a real thing for some people. But managed carefully and moderated successfully, it can also be a great thing.

It's a whole different world we live in today.

Microsoft Security Update instant message alerts notify you when time sensitive information about Microsoft products has been posted on the Security Web site. You can choose to receive these alerts through MSN Messenger or Windows Messenger, your e-mail, or a mobile device like your cell phone or PDA. Register at the Microsoft Security Alerts Web page.

Information on Microsoft Security Update Instant Message Alerts as well as RSS Feeds for Security Bulletins, the Microsoft Security Notification Service, and the Microsoft Security Notification Service Comprehensive Edition can be found at this location:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx

SIDEBAR: Oh, and it looks like they are using LiveMessage, which is what powers my .NET IM alerts for this weblog:

• Check out LiveMessage from MessageCast
•  Get alerts for this weblog

Microsoft's posted a quick online quiz that checks everyday people's spyware knowledge:

"Do you know what spyware is, how to help protect yourself against it, and what you should do if it’s on your computer? Take this quiz to test your knowledge."

After you take the first quiz (which is, admittedly, pretty darn basic), you can move on to the "advanced" quiz. How did you do? I scored 100%, but this is what I do every day.

Other useful information and education about spyware from Microsoft:

• Video: Protecting your computer from spyware
• Try Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta)
• Signs of a spyware infection
• How to get rid of spyware and other unwanted software

Scott and Rory's pre-TechEd video series continues:

"In the fourth and final installment of our 'Those are some really weird TechEd Videos Collection (coming soon in DVD, not)' Rory and I learn the meaning of community as we sleep through the TechEd Keynote Address."

Yyyyyyyyyyyyup!

Ummmm.... Uhhh... Yeah... Not really sure what to make of this one, but Rory's right about baby carrots. Anyhow, view it here.

It's no real surprise that VOOM, a satellite service that provides boatload of HDTV programming to its customers, is about to shut down. Cablevision, the company that owns the subsidiary, is cutting its losses before it's too late.

But it's really too bad that a company that was making its name on hi-def television is going south. With HDTV being such a big thing, a service provider like VOOM, which already has a satellite in operation, seems like such a good thing.

It's unclear what will come of the channels and the satellite space currently used by VOOM when they shut down on April 30th. Hopefully something good will come of all this - HDTV is so late in coming.

Why did VOOM fail? Bad marketing? Before it's time? Cable-company ownership mark of death? Bad company name?

Sorry to see it go...

If you're in the market for a home or a place to rent, you should check out this site, which uses craigslist and Google Maps to help you search for a home. This is what web services and open APIs are all about! Thanks to Paul Rademacher for this cool, useful tool:

http://www.paulrademacher.com/housing/

To start your search, begin with your choice of city (craigslist cities are what's represented, of course) and then you choose whether you are looking to buy or rent:

Next you can choose homes to view on the map, with the key information available in a list to the right. Yellow pointer icons mean the listing has pictures included. You can select your price ranges and you can sort based on price, description, location or date of listing:

(click for full-sized image)

Once you have found a place you are interested in finding out more about, click the home's pointer or the link in the list, and you'll see details, along with a link to the original complete listing.

(click for full-sized image)

Nice stuff. We can expect to see more and more of this sort of thing as time goes on and as services make their APIs more and more open and available to the public.

One of my favorite movies of 2004 was just released on DVD. I received mine on Friday, despite the fact that Amazon says it has not been released yet... The release date is supposed to be April 19th. If you know anything about the plot of this movie, this time shift on the DVD release is a complete mind mess.

Anyhow, I bought two copies of Primer from Amazon.com. Because I want to support movies like this and the people that make them. It's awesome.

This movie was made on a $7,000 budget by a first-time movie maker, and it beats the pants off most films made these days. It was even recently selected for Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival.

And one of the best things about Primer is that it takes your brain for a twister of a ride, gives it a real workout. It's fun, it's smart, it's complicated, it's unique. It's a movie people will appreciate when they see it. If they see it. And you should see it.

• Amazon.com: Order Primer the movie
• Visit the Primer movie official web site at http://www.primermovie.com/

Paul Bausch asks:

Has anyone put rel="nofollow" on the back of a t-shirt yet?

Well, yeah. Sure. And now it's even spelled correctly. Click if ya want one.

(corrected the lingo, changed the shirt, oops!)

Over on Microsoft Downloads today there's a new setup file for Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager:

"Use this application to backup and restore presentations, pictures, songs and applications from and to USB Flash Drive devices and take them with you. Use USB Flash Drives to store personal data, to keep your network configuration and to share information with your friends. Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager is available for Windows XP only."

Copy and backup files, restore backup images from your hard disk (great for standard copying of the same image onto multiple flash drives, too), edit the properties of the drive, put the Flash Drive Manager binaries on the drive and make it autorun when inserted, save your wireless network settings to the flash drive for deployment to other computers, etc.

It's pretty cool. I have a need to be able to deploy multiple copies of the same USB Flash Drive image and to update them periodically. It looks like this utility will allow me to keep a standard library of flash drive images to let me restore a single image to a whole slew of drives very quickly and easily.

Download here

(via Chris Lanier)

Forgive the topic (just skip this entry if you don't care to read semi-graphic bathroom prose), but Doc Searls writes today on his weblog about the bad habits guys have in the men's room - namely not using the urinal for "number one," and making a mess while standing and "using" a stall instead. So, I have to respond. I can't help it, it's like a disease this blogging thing.

Doc bluntly covers the not-lifting-the-seat problem, as well as the hygiene issues:

"But: why piss all over the place? Why not lift the seat? Don't these guys ever sit on the damn toilet? Do they like sitting on somebody else's pee? 

"These questions come to mind for two reasons: 1) because I just witnessed exactly that scene, in a mens' room here at a nice hotel here in San Francisco; and 2) nobody ever talks about the problem.

"So I'm thinking... a substantial percentage of men A) only piss in stalls; and B) don't lift toilet seats. If you're one of those guys, and you blog, can you please explain your position, so to speak, on this issue?"

Well, I can tell you that it still surprises me, even after all these many trips to restrooms over the years, how often I find a bathroom that's a disgusting mess because of people who have no sense of personal responsibility. And that includes places where only adults use the restroom.

But Doc's words make me thing of more.

For example, take the following from Greg's Quiz on Common Sense Men's Room Hygiene, based on experiences of observation over the past couple of weeks:

A guy walks into the men's room, approaches the urinal, and relieves himself. Once he's done he "zips-up" and then...

a) walks straight out the door.
b) walks straight to the sink, washes hands, dries hand on paper towel, and walks out the door.
c) walks straight to the paper towel dispenser, uses paper towel, and walks out the door.

Which action is the most disgusting? Please explain you answer.

Use the comments to relieve yourself of your thoughts and record your answers to the quiz, should you be so inclined.

Why do I have these images from RoboCop movies going through my mind?

In case anyone's deciding what to get me for my mid-life crisis phase, one of these Land Walkers would do just fine.

This thing's cool. Who the heck has the time to sit around and think this stuff up??? Check out a demo video here.

Crazy, but pretty darn cool. Stick a super-soaker on that and it's party time.