http://www.evilaliens.com Andy's stream of consciousness relating to hardware, software, Windows, Linux, compilers, real programming languages (C++, C#), scripting languages, stupid languages (Java, Visual Basic), web languages (ASP.NET, PHP), SQL, TiVo, XBox, video games, books, movies, music, food and hot chicks. en-us http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=126 I think, for right now, the answer is "not to buy." At least, not until it becomes available on Sprint's network. If Verizon wasn't so expensive, I would probably pick it up. But at $90 per month, it's hardly a bargain. The nail in the coffin was the lackluster Exchange ActiveSync support. I spent the better part of today configuring VMs for a domain controller and exchange server, and in the end the only thing that I'm going to be able to sync are contacts and the calendar. Everything else, inc . . . http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=125 I recently acquired a copy of Norton Ghost 10.0 for use at work. Remember not so long ago when I used the words "don't worry, they'll ruin it eventually?" Well, they didn't wait around for a few versions to screw it up - they cut to the chase and fucked up the very next version. While Ghost 9.0 is damn near perfect, Ghost 10.0 is, uh.. not. Ghost is now a "recovery solution" that tries to outsmart you at every turn, instead of letting me (the one who knows what's actually going on with my own co . . . http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=124 This fucking sucks. http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=123 Last week, I saw this. It was funny - I laughed and went to bed. Then, a thought popped into my head fully formed and I damn near couldn't get to sleep thinking about it! My friend Steve has been making mashups (the subtle art of combining two songs into one) lately, so I wondered why the same thing couldn't be done with movie trailers. I mean, if "There's Something About Mary" was good, and "When Harry Met Sally" was good, surely There's Something About Sally (Quicktime, H.264 + AAC) must be hi . . . http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=122 I was talking to my friend Steffi yesterday, and she was telling me about this get together she went to awhile back where people were toking it up, snarfing pot brownies and generally having a good time without being a public nuisance. That got me to thinking, what would I do if I were at a party like that? Now admittedly, this is a far-fetched premise - but work with me here. First off, I seriously doubt I would participate, mostly because I'm not a fan of mind-altering drugs including cigarett . . . http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=121 In the words of Wade Gustafson - "It looks pretty sweet." I had loads of problems with the betas going onto my machine, so much so that I refused to load it on anything other than a VM. But on Monday, I Ghost'd my system and took the plunge. Result? A flawless install of VS2005. Incredible. I've already converted over a few projects, and for the most part things work with just a few minor tweaks. The change over at work should be more ... interesting. http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=120 We lost power at work this morning due to a car accident downtown. Luckily, I've got a laptop and our network and computer room are running perfectly from the generator. Here's the funny thing... The restrooms don't work. So, our network is more robust than our restrooms. The reason is we have a "green" building, so it uses reclaimed water from a cistern to run the plumbing in the restrooms, which requires a pump, which requires electricity, which we don't have. Oops! http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=119 So I went through this whole "anti-blogging" period, and oddly enough, quite a few people noticed. You love me! You really love me! Or something. Anyway. So.. I guess I should catch everyone up with what's been going on the past few months. No girlfriend, but several attempts at acquiring one were made - results mixed. I bought a Dension ice-Link module for my car. Had some problems - works great now. Still climbing. Did a brief stint outdoors before The Rain came. Reformatted my machine w . . . http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=118 Mmmm... A little navi mod action. Sweet! This is what pops up when you start my car now. Shows for about 3 seconds while the navigation system loads up. It looks really good - nice and bright. Of course, the instructions for doing it were wrong, but what fun is life without these little challenges? View the original, if you like. http://www.evilaliens.com/viewentry.php?id=117 I picked up a Sony PSP yesterday, and all I have to say right now is "Wow." Hopefully I'll get my ass in gear and write up a proper review, but in the meantime: "Wow." The PSP is going to crush the DS, I'm sure. It's too bad about Nintendo... I think it's just going to be MS and Sony now. I doubt Nintendo's next console can be a serious competitor, but maybe I'll be wrong. I think the best decision Nintendo could make right now would be to drop out of the console race while they have a pil . . .