Big day today, Microsoft is posting the Windows 8 consumer preview for download. I plan to attempt to download it, but the site will probably be overwhelmed for a good while. Not a huge Windows fan, but always eager to play around with any new operating systems.
Also on tap today, the Raspberry Pi is finally on sale. Initially I believe this will only be available in the UK, but hopefully we will soon be able to buy it here in the US. This little gem, for those who don't know, is a complete computer available on a credit card sized board and is able to run special versions of Linux. It is also capable of displaying 1080p video, so the uses are many for this pint sized computer.
The big plus is the cost. Only $25 for the version without ethernet, and $35 for the full blown system! As I said the uses will be many, but I have plans to make a music server for my car.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Mountain Lion
I know it's not supposed to happen this way, but I couldn't help trying to install the Mountain Lion developer preview on one of my Hackintosh machines. I purposely chose one of the systems which has been very compatible, so far, for this experiment.
The chosen one is a Gigabyte P35-DS3L, a bit older, but as I said, has been very compatible thus far. The system has a core 2 duo e4800 3.0 Ghz CPU, an Nvidia 8400 GS video card, with 4 Gb of system memory.
I first tried to install the actual ML DP1, downloaded from a source which was posted online, but I could not get the image copied to a flash drive for the install attempt. I later searched the bay filled with pirates for another version, and found an image someone had made specifically to install on a Hackintosh.
After several unsuccessful attempts (I could get it to boot and begin to install, but it would KP each time early into the installation), I decided to play around with some of the kext in the /Extra/Extensions folder to find a combination which would allow this version to be installed onto the hard drive.
Once found, I was able to install the system on to the hard drive and then boot using the flash drive to boot from, but so far I have been unable to get ethernet to work. I do have sound and full screen resolution, complete with QE/CI, but with no ethernet I have not been able to get online.
Once I find the proper spell to cast over the system, ethernet will work and I will have a fully functional machine. Not that I would ever use a beta OS for any productive system, it's just kind of neat to get it working on a Hackintosh.
The chosen one is a Gigabyte P35-DS3L, a bit older, but as I said, has been very compatible thus far. The system has a core 2 duo e4800 3.0 Ghz CPU, an Nvidia 8400 GS video card, with 4 Gb of system memory.
I first tried to install the actual ML DP1, downloaded from a source which was posted online, but I could not get the image copied to a flash drive for the install attempt. I later searched the bay filled with pirates for another version, and found an image someone had made specifically to install on a Hackintosh.
After several unsuccessful attempts (I could get it to boot and begin to install, but it would KP each time early into the installation), I decided to play around with some of the kext in the /Extra/Extensions folder to find a combination which would allow this version to be installed onto the hard drive.
Once found, I was able to install the system on to the hard drive and then boot using the flash drive to boot from, but so far I have been unable to get ethernet to work. I do have sound and full screen resolution, complete with QE/CI, but with no ethernet I have not been able to get online.
Once I find the proper spell to cast over the system, ethernet will work and I will have a fully functional machine. Not that I would ever use a beta OS for any productive system, it's just kind of neat to get it working on a Hackintosh.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Where is the outrage?
I can remember back to when Exxon/Mobil announced it's profit a few years ago and just how outraged people were when they heard about it. Yet Apple's recent announcement of their excessive profit results in barely a wimper, even though the profit margin is such that it is very obvious that their customers way overpaid for the products or services they received. Add to that the recent headlines in tech journals and even CNN, about how poorly workers in Apple's factories in China are treated and one wonders why no one is all that upset.
The answer is easy for those of us who are familiar with the tech scene and Apple's customer base in general. Apple customers are basically loyal to a fault. It almost seems as though they are mind-numbed robots in a way. Apple loyalists will defend any and everything that the company does as in their mind, Apple can do no wrong.
This was even true back in the older days when Apple was just a niche player, their customers always seemed to look down on the lowly PC users as if they were somehow inferior for choosing a lower priced computer, even though the Apple systems were far slower than anything available in the PC market of the day. Anyone who used both and was objective, could easily see the difference.
So why is this? I think the answer lies in Apple's own ad campaign of the day, Think Different. This somehow translated into think better or smarter in the eyes of Apple customers, as they clearly have always felt superior in their choice of Apple products. Just ask one to compare their product, whatever it might be, to your generic version of the same item. Theirs will always be better, even if yours is clearly superior in it's ability to accomplish whatever task it was meant to perform.
The reason why Apple is no longer a niche player is obvious. Just look at the pop culture of the day, no longer is practicality king. Nowadays glitter and glamour rule, you have to have the latest and best to be highly thought of by the youth of today and make no mistake, young is where it's at these days. Us old farts with our outdated ideas about making do with less is just not cool anymore.
But I'm not really worried, anyone who has studied history knows that it will all change again in time. The next generation will rebel against whatever their parents think is best and things will change again. It's the only time honored tradition that never seems to change and I think that is a good thing.
The answer is easy for those of us who are familiar with the tech scene and Apple's customer base in general. Apple customers are basically loyal to a fault. It almost seems as though they are mind-numbed robots in a way. Apple loyalists will defend any and everything that the company does as in their mind, Apple can do no wrong.
This was even true back in the older days when Apple was just a niche player, their customers always seemed to look down on the lowly PC users as if they were somehow inferior for choosing a lower priced computer, even though the Apple systems were far slower than anything available in the PC market of the day. Anyone who used both and was objective, could easily see the difference.
So why is this? I think the answer lies in Apple's own ad campaign of the day, Think Different. This somehow translated into think better or smarter in the eyes of Apple customers, as they clearly have always felt superior in their choice of Apple products. Just ask one to compare their product, whatever it might be, to your generic version of the same item. Theirs will always be better, even if yours is clearly superior in it's ability to accomplish whatever task it was meant to perform.
The reason why Apple is no longer a niche player is obvious. Just look at the pop culture of the day, no longer is practicality king. Nowadays glitter and glamour rule, you have to have the latest and best to be highly thought of by the youth of today and make no mistake, young is where it's at these days. Us old farts with our outdated ideas about making do with less is just not cool anymore.
But I'm not really worried, anyone who has studied history knows that it will all change again in time. The next generation will rebel against whatever their parents think is best and things will change again. It's the only time honored tradition that never seems to change and I think that is a good thing.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Waiting on UPS
Don't you hate waiting for a delivery? I know I do. I think the internet makes it worse when you can track the package and know that is on the truck for delivery. Great, but what time will it get here? And, unless you happen to be near the door when the blessed event happens, every little noise you hear makes you run to the door to see if that was it!
I got so when I lived in Vevay, that I wouldn't get up to check, I would just track the package again online to see if it had been delivered or not. Much easier than jumping out of my seat each time, but this only works with FedEx or UPS b/c the scanners they use register almost instantly online. USPS scanners do not register until the carrier gets back to the office and returns the scanner to the charging cradle.
Then there is the letdown after the package has been delivered and opened. Now what? You look at what you got and wish that you had another package coming. And the cycle starts again...
I got so when I lived in Vevay, that I wouldn't get up to check, I would just track the package again online to see if it had been delivered or not. Much easier than jumping out of my seat each time, but this only works with FedEx or UPS b/c the scanners they use register almost instantly online. USPS scanners do not register until the carrier gets back to the office and returns the scanner to the charging cradle.
Then there is the letdown after the package has been delivered and opened. Now what? You look at what you got and wish that you had another package coming. And the cycle starts again...
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