youfailed.us – Page 14 – Today is the yesterday that we will regret tomorrow.

Windows 7 Beta

Is it me or can you just follow this URL to get a key and a link to download Windows 7 32 Bit

https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/productkeys/win7-32/enus/default.aspx

Also, here is the link for the 64 bit version:

https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/productkeys/win7-64/enus/default.aspx

I visited the sites in a few different browsers and kept getting different keys and didn’t have to sign in or anything. Strange.

Oh yeah, and the download only works in IE and you have to install some download manager.

Sheldon

XP Activation sucks (and is triggered by simply upgrading RAM)

This has happened a few times but I could never pinpoint exactly what I upgraded to cause activation to get triggered because usually I upgrade the video card AND RAM or some combination of things. Anyway, went from 1GB of RAM to 2 GB of RAM and that triggered activation. Luckily it worked out and I didn’t have to call in but still, it’s annoying.

Sheldon

Upgrading the iPhone and the useless iTunes progress bars!

So it’s about time to upgrade to 2.0.2. I ripped a DVD and put it on the iPhone (thanks to handbrake!) and it was suprizingly easy. But it took a while to encode so I had plenty of time to do an upgrade.

First step was to download the update . . . over 200 MB!!! That’s going to take a while . . . .

Okay, now it has to backup the iPhone. I get a progress bar from hell that just keeps scrolling by. After that’s done, another useless progress bar saying it’s extracting the files or something. Next another annoying progress bar to say that it’s “Prepping the iPhone for an upgrade”. On and on and on. Probably more than 5 different progress bars.

After all that it couldn’t install the software (my USB ports are flaky) so it was in “Restore mode” and I had to do the entire process all over again (well, at least I didn’t have to download the update). Lucky that it backed up the iPhone because everything was wiped out after the restore. But I did get back all the apps I downloaded as well as the addressbook. But I did loose all the music and video so I had to sync all that back up.

Two hours later . . . finally done.

Sheldon

iPhone 3G reception problems are real!!

It’s been a while. I’ve been messing with CakePHP instead of writing . . . but I need to do both. Anyway, an iPhone rant.

The iPhone 3G reception problem is bad news. While we were in DC a few weeks ago I was trying to look up maps and stuff and the iPhone was sucky so I switched off 3G thinking DC just wasn’t a good coverage area. When we got back, I never switched it back (it is Sarah’s phone after all). Then on Monday (several weeks later) I read that “Tris” (the Tetris clone) was being pulled from the App Store on Wednesday. I grabbed up the iPhone and downloaded it. (It’s pretty sweet by the way.) The download took a while and I remembered about how I switched off 3G weeks ago so I switched it back on and put the phone on the dryer (that’s where we put our phones and keys). Later that night Sarah does some laundry and I notice the iPhone is pretty hot sitting on the dryer . . . so I put it on the washer. Next day, all calls are dropped after less than a minute. At first I thought it was the heat from the dryer . . . but then Sarah said “It’s that Tris you installed!” and then it dawned on me . . . it was because of 3G!!! I switched off 3G and all is well . . . sorta, I mean, it’s not “twice as fast” and it certainly wasn’t “half the price”.

That said it’s still a cool phone and I wish I had one. It just sucks that it is advertized as better . . . and it’s certainly one of the most expensive options when it comes to the TCO (total cost of ownership) for a phone.

Sheldon

At Google, the limitations are as limited as possible.

Jim and I were talking about “Google Code Jam” and he assumed the language we both know really well, VBScript, wouldn’t be an acceptable language. I just happened to have read the rules and here is how I sumarized it to him:

“You can use whatever language/tools you want. You can solve the problem with paper and fax it in if you want. Want to solve it with Excel with macros, go ahead? What about MathCAD . . . sure. ANYTHING. At Google, the limitations are as limited as possible. I’m amazed that we even have to register to see the examples.”

Having been to Google I/O and 3D Basecamp and I can vouch that Google tries it’s best to give people every possible option. Everyone knows about the food selection (but no matter what you’ve read to experience it is to be amazed) but at 3D Basecamp on Google’s main campus, as an attendee, you walk from room to room or building to building following the signs that tell you where to go. You walk about the halls of Google and, sure, security is watching your every move but there are no signs that say “DON’T GO HERE” or “FORBIDDEN” or “Google Empoyees Only”. If you happen to wander to an area you shouldn’t be in I imagine those blue shirted security guys and gals will pounce but there is the illusion of freedom as you walk about the campus and it’s refreshing.