Bill O'Reilly destroys 9/11 Lawyer Defending Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

My Windows 7 upgrade experience. (The Installation)

After about 2 years of enduring Windows Vista I went ahead and did what I said I would never do again… upgrade to the latest and greatest Windows operating system 1 month out. After my experience with Windows 98 when it first came out, I made it my own personal policy to wait at least a year with a new release to upgrade Operating Systems. This time… I made an exception.

For those that do not know me I am a recording musician and web developer. So I have an actual need for a full working PC with a quality “stay out of my way” Operating System. If I just needed to check my email, type up some documents, and get on FaceBook, a netbook running whatever would be all I would ever need.

I originally bought my system with Vista on it, so I knew that it was compatible with 7. I decided to run the upgrade instead of a fresh install which went against Microsoft's recommendations. It would have taken me at least a week or so to reinstall all the apps on my PC. Not an option. For the most part, although quite lengthy (3.5 hours), the installation went pretty smooth. I had to de-authorize my computer from playing all iTunes store content, then uninstall iTunes. I’ve since reinstalled with some annoying library issues. Apparently you have to tell iTunes where your files are located after you re-install iTunes in Windows 7, however… you don’t have to for every single song in your library, which makes the issue kind of strange. I’m not sure if this is an iTunes issue or Windows 7 issue… but either way its an issue, and its annoying. Especially since I have over 5000 songs on my PC. I’m holding off plugging up my iPod until I resolve the problem.

Also for some reason Microsoft didn’t like that i had Thunderbird set up as my default email client. The installation told me I had to set my Outlook client as my default client. I kind of felt like Microsoft was a little jealous that I choose a non-Microsoft product to send and receive my mail. Never the less I humored Windows and set Outlook to default. I’ve since switched back to Thunderbird with no problems.

The Thunderbird and iTunes issue you may want to take note of in advance before attempting an upgrade. Otherwise you will have to sit through 5 minutes of a compatibility checker only to go back and fix these elements then sit through the checker again. All in all considering the amount of files and software I have on my PC (Visual Studio, Acid Pro, every single browser on the market, Adobe CS, MS expression, etc) I’m surprised this is the only whining I heard from Windows 7.

There was one very puzzling issue after the upgrade. The audio drivers did not carry over, forcing me to have to endure a customer support nightmare with Creative in getting a compatible driver for my Audigy XTream 24bit audio card. This pretty much scared me giving the fact that I am a musician, and the one main thing I use my computer for is professionally recording music. Never the less I got it resolved.

Now here is the part where most who know me will GASP. I am TEMPORARILY switching to Internet Explorer 8. FireFox 3.5 has some issues in WIN 7. Very minor but somewhat annoying... and my Gmail doesn't update well in FireFox 3.5. However Mozilla is hard at work on 3.7, which is said to be Windows 7 friendly. So like I said... the switch to IE 8 is only temporary.

I’m not one of those that bitched and complained really about Vista NOT working with anything. For me it actually did work with everything, (probably because I bought a PC built around it). The main elements of Vista that annoyed me were getting around to administer my operating system. I would imagine it would compare to going into the jungle with a point B in mind but without a map. The control panel was a zoo… and the file system was just clutter. I figured when I got Vista the learning curve would eventually come to a end, but it didn’t. After a year of this madness I sent a letter to Microsoft suggesting a bookmark feature much like the one in the browser but for the local machine, pretty sad. Windows 7 has improved the navigation structure of the operating system very well, and it just feels much more stable and clean. For example... telling iTunes where my files are is very easy as the dialog box incorporates the bread crumb feature.

So the testing continues… and I will most certainly keep notes of what i find. As of now I have no real major complaints and I would most certainly recommend upgrading or getting a new PC with Windows 7… Microsoft finally gets it. <---- thats huge coming from me… who has a continued love/hate relationship for the company and its technologies.

:)

Jackson Fans dry your tears... its not all that bad.

Now that the memorial service is over, it’s time for some reflection. I’ve been quiet but watching regarding the death of Michael Jackson out of respect for the fans and the end of a life. In watching I am moved with concern, and I can't keep my mouth shut... :) as usual.

As a kid Jackson influenced the musician in me with songs like Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, and the entire Dangerous album minus the song "Heal The World." My fondness of Michael Jackson is one of respect for “the artist” with a unique style. But lets be honest… "the artist" died along time ago. In my opinion he hasn’t really done anything spectacular since Dangerous in '91 with the exception of 2 songs on the HIStory CD released in '95. In 2001 he made another CD entitled "Invincible" which I didn't even know about until a year after its release... and it was anything but invincible. And that sadly was his last piece of work while living. 

As for the man himself... I never knew him. Nor will I ever act like I did by saying things like "he had a big heart... and wanted to bring everyone together... blah blah blah." How could I know that he was a person with alot of love to give? I know he wrote lyrics conveying that while spending lavishly a half a billion dollars in his lifetime on himself and dying almost $400 million in the hole. I also know he gave to charity too, not sure how much. Those are some very contradicting characteristics, so rather than analyze it I'm just gonna say that I didn't know him. Regardless of where you are on the pedophilia accusations it doesn't really matter. There is no evidence to suggest that Michael Jackson molested young boys... just as there is no evidence to suggest that he didn't. So its a waste of time and energy to argue speculation on either side of the issue. I don't like to analyze speculation... I will just simply say "I don't know" and neither do you. The man is dead now, and judging the character of the man is in God's hands... and judgment by any one person on either side is not warranted. 

The memorial disgusted me... I saw clips but didn't watch the whole thing because I knew what it was going to contain, a bunch of people (excluding family members ofcourse) there for the limelight who were in essence doing it for themselves and exposure. How do I know this? Easy... Where was his closest friend Elizabeth Taylor? She said on Twitter “I've been asked to speak at the Staples Center, I cannot be part of the public whoopla. I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event.” (here). All I can say is WOW... thats very telling... and I have a profound respect for Elizabeth Taylor and her decision. Her action puts her very high on the scale of class in my book. Another reason I knew the majority of the people (not all) were there for selfish reasons is because I have been hearing stories in the media for years that Jackson was in debt, out of money... and sinking fast while still spending foolishly. Where were they then? All his life Jackson was surrounded by people who would use him... for a tour manager it was money regardless of the health of Jackson, for a doctor it was prestige (and money), for a star... well it looked good to have Michael Jackson next to you in picture... after all it was Michael Jackson.

This was a person that died a very sad and lonely individual, and had little significance on June 24, 2009. June 25th and ever since then he has been glorified as a God because he could sing and dance and was now dead. I simply don't get that... sure he is a very astounding entertainer but I don't see him as someone to be made a hero or a role model necessarily and thats what I have seen these past 2 weeks. On June 25th, the same day Michael Jackson died, Brian Bradshaw was killed in "Kheyl, Afganistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle." As you might have guessed he was an American soldier who will go down in history quietly as one of very many that fought and died for the very freedom that allowed Michael Jackson to be Michael Jackson... and for you to listen and be influenced by him without repression. I think that is the very problem with this country and our society... we put our entertainers and personalities with charisma on a pedestal so high that we forget the real role models. We saw this with the election of 2008... I'm sorry but Obama was elected on charisma... good looks... and pep rally catch phrases all very entertaining... and all while ignoring the war hero who spent 7 years in a Vietnam prison camp because he wouldn't leave his fellow soldiers behind. The teachers, firefighters, the men and women of law enforcement, and our soldiers that we take for granted every day in this country and who demand no recognition in the form of fame and fortune, are the true yet unsung heroes and role models. 

I just think America gets a little off track at times... and this is one of those times. Jackson's problems are over... ours linger in a future of uncertainty. Don't believe me? just look at the news these days. So I say we cherish Jackson's message for what it is, don't forget the true role models, and move on with life. And may Jackson rest in peace.

Introduction... first blog... sorta

    So here I go welcoming you the reader to my blog once again.  I know... my biggest problem has been finding a provider that works for me providing features and ease of use... I'm picky about this stuff because I want to use it, but I don't want a headache.  In looking for the perfect blog provider I kept coming back to Blogger, so they win.  While it lacks many things, I love the newspaper editorial messy look on my template, and since it is Google I'm confident the features it's lacking will roll out in time. 

    For those that don't know me I'm very political, a musician, and a Tech nerd.  These are the things I will blog about except the music thing.  Music will be published on AngerShade.com in an effort to keep my art and my politics separate.  On the political spectrum I consider myself a Conservative/Traditionalist.  I don't endorse a specific party such as Republican or Democrat but I lean Republican.  Your welcome to add comments of course to all my postings.  Just look for the comment section below my writings.

    About the features.... Over to the right you will see my Twitter feeds (feel free to follow via the link) followed by a little section called the blog Archive.  Think of the followers section as the same thing you would see on myspace friends or facebook friends except you don't have to have a Yegge blog account or anything.  You can use your Google ID, Yahoo ID, or AIM ID to link yourself to the blog.  More will follow soon.  Soon will there will be categories, categorizing the blogs by subject (political, tech, etc.).  And I'm looking for ways to have users subscribe via RSS feeds but for now following via your Yahoo, Google, or AIM seems to be enough.

    I look forward to pissing some of you off... and being the voice for those of you that don't have the time.  Keep in mind though that I am one man with a real job... so there may be a gap between my posts at times... at other times it may be one after the other.

    Another thing I like about Blogger is I have the ability to add other writers to this blog... that may prove to be an interesting possibility.

here we go....