Running Windows XP simultaneously With Mac OS X: Parallels is the software that provides for this. They just posted a "Release Candidate" that works on the MacPro. Parallels has many defects remaining. USB grief, won't work (for me) with both of my DVD-RW drives, Sound still not working correctly, but installing the included "Parellels Tools" helped a lot. I can share my Fat 32 partition with my OS X paradigm, and I love the way the cursor goes in and out of a Windows XP Window as you move it in and out of the Window.

It took far too much time to get it in a usable condition, but it does now do all I need it to. I can run MS Money, MS Access and IE 6 (which some websites require because they never learned about anybrowser.org). FrontPage 2003 provided authentication grief with Microsoft, they sure know how to alienate customers, but a barely intelligible CSR in India finally provided a code. Working just fine for the apps that I need most, I'll be using Parallels in preference to Boot Camp, (and Parallels never has a SATA slowdown, like Apple's Boot Camp 1.1 does without hacking your Windows Install CD), so I orderd a copy of Parallels (through MacInTouch at Amazon) at a discount.

The 15 day trial copy is a great way for folks to evaluate software. http://www.parallels.com/en/download/desktop/

Amazon thinks it's iTunes. Amazon has launched a new "service" UNBOX, which provides downloads of TV shows and Movies. Only issue - you can't burn them to a playable DVD. So it's hardly like an unboxed commercial DVD. It reminds me more of the failed Circuit City DIVX. Take a known service and provide extra restritions on the use, and expect people to pay the same price.
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Beware new AOL free client: Leading Industry watchdog at Harvard labels the free version of AOL 9.0 as badware. Full story here.

Turnabout is fair play ! Microsoft has been trying to minimize the Google monopoly on search function. Now Google is going to do the same for Microsoft's big cash cow, Microsoft Office. Story here.

I love my new MacPro ! The new Mac Pro is a great Workstation PC. It uses 2 high end dual core Xeon Processors, fast SATA Hard Drives, and fast ECC Memory. Since it uses Intel processors, in theory one should be able to run Windows on it. Apple in fact has made that easy with their "BootCamp" software. I created a 32 Gig Partition and formatted it with FAT32 to simplify transferring files between Windows and Mac OS worlds. Software exists to run both OSs simultaneously, but a version that works with the new MacPro hasn't been released yet, so for now, switching requires a simple reboot; and that reboot is relatively fast with this fast machine.

Dump Windows Update and WGA - How to is here.

Microsoft retreats (a little) - Microsoft's WGA spyware no longer checks daily allegedly. Story here.

Microsoft has Installed Spyware on your PC - Brian Livingston, author of many "Windows Secrets" books and normally a mild mannered person, takes Microsoft to task for their WGA beta program, which they secretly have "phone home" - thus it is spyware. Full story here:

This TiVo could live forever: My son bought a lifetime contract (for $250) 3 1/2 years ago when he got a 140060 SA TiVo. Monthly fees would have cost him $543 by now. He was upset when his TiVo "died" last month.

I told him: Let me try and fix it, it's probably just the hard drive", and if he decided to stay with the Comcast DVR he got in the meantime, I could sell it on eBay for him. Frys had 300 Gig Seagates for cheap to use to replace/upgrade his OEM hard drive so I got one.

When I got the unit, I plugged it in, and despite lighting up, nothing to the TV screen, upon opening it up, the Hard Drive wasn't spinning up. I tried a different hard drive, and it too lay dormant. I went to the Weaknees.com site where it confirmed my suspicion that the Power Supply was bad, so I ordered a replacement from them. It came today, and I swapped it in, and voila : TiVo LIVES. Then I restored the 3 1/2 year old OEM 60 Gig HD onto the new 300 Gig HD, which saved all my son's settings and recording (took about 90 minutes). His TiVo now has ~ 370 hours recording time, and still has its Lifetime Subscription. Instructions here.

My son wants it back, telling me his Comcast DVR only recorded 80% of what he told it to.
I own a DirecTv unit with TiVo, so I have no need for it, and it's being shipped now.

It's nice to be able to do things for ones' children.

Can you hear me now? Allegedly a high frequency ringtone has been making the rounds in Great Britain. Teens can hear it, adults can't so the story goes. I'm not aware of any cell phone that has the capability of producing such high frequency sounds, so I'm skeptical. Story here:
Download the ringtone here.

I knew, do you know? Five things you should know before trying to Install
Windows Vista, Beta 2. Story here.

Five other things you should know.

1. GHOST your hard drive before installing Vista.
2. Create a new partition for Vista so you can dual boot.
3. Download your Soundblaster Drivers from Creative Labs.
4. Turn off Energy Savings on your Network Card. Turn off Vista Sidebar.
Configure settings for your Domain/Workgroup.
5. Firefox 1.5.0x works great, use it.

Microsoft is too cheap to buy enough bandwidth from Akamai. Anyone can now download a beta of Windows Vista here. In theory anyway. Try it Thursday morning, June 8, 2006, and you get this message:

Thank you for your interest in Windows Vista Beta 2.

We are currently experiencing a high level of demand and cannot process your request at this time.

Please check back later for availability. We apologize for any inconvenience.

FOLLOWUP: Luckily third parties have mirrored it. You may have more luck downloading it here. Don't forget to get an install code from Microsoft. Thanks to that mirror I downloaded it quickly. Read one opinion of installing Vista in the June 8 posting on a blog here, and here .

Glad I didn't buy an HP Digital camera: Cause they might burst into flame they're being recalled. Story here.

More cut and paste from Press Release disguised as news: Forbes has news (which is 100% wrong) that Microsoft launched its first Macintosh keyboard. Forbes baloney here.
The reason I know it's baloney is this April 16, 2002 Microsoft Press Release announcing that the Microsoft keyboards work with Macintosh.

Writing by committee ? PC World has an interesting list of 25 Worst Tech Products. Problem is they seem to have three separate criteria for inclusion. With some products only meeting one of the criteria.
1. Doesn't work as advertised or not fit for purpose.
2. Way overpriced.
3. Commercial failure.

Interesting discussion topic, however

Surprise, surprise, NOT - Microsoft admits Vista may slip past its' January planned release. Of course you read that here 3 weeks ago.

Free download for MS Office 2007 Beta: Click here.

Worse than SPAM: SPIM: Don't click on unexpected links while using Yahoo Messenger, or you'll be a victim. Story here:

Windows VISTA requirements: Microsoft makes official what one needs in a PC to be able to run VISTA (the new version of Windows, now due out next year). Check it out here.

Industry expert predicts next version of Windows will be LATE: Microsoft claims the public will see Windows Vista in January, others say April if you're lucky.