Monthly Archives: February 2012
Update on Windows 7 Logon Background Changer for Windows 7 Welcome Screen, & Documenting Custom Branding
I discovered there is an update on the Windows 7 Logon Background Changer, which modifies the background wallpaper for the Windows 7 Welcome Screen. It is available at http://www.julien-manici.com/. Also available at the site are some Windows gadgets for the Vista and 7 sidebar and a file hash computational tool (handy for frequent downloaders), among other items.
There also is the Windows 7 Logon Editor, but it doesn’t seem as versatile to me.
The wallpaper changer is handy for those who custom build systems. You can create a wallpaper that goes along with custom branding.
Smartphone Apps Latest Threat to Personal Information
Perhaps you have by now heard of the teenage girl in which Target knew she was pregnant before her father did. It is shocking the personal information that companies gather on individuals, but at least in the case of shopping habits, it is more or less a known quantity. However, there are now bigger threats to our privacy and information that could harm us if it falls into the wrong hands.
The Telegraph posted a couple of days ago the article “Companies use apps to harvest users’ personal information”. Some smartphone apps have terms and conditions that allowing the sharing of personal information, which could include contacts and even text messages!
Reflections: Success, Failure, Donald Trump and Thomas Edison
Warning, the language in this video is a bit rough in some spots.
How does someone achieve success? I notice one of the things Richard St. John brings up is “persistence”. He even specifically mentions pushing through failures.
Geek Friday: Removing Crapware
Many (not all, but many) people pull a computer out the box, hook it up and just go through whatever menus are provided to get it set up and running, and simply accept whatever comes with the box. If McAfee or, forbid, Norton comes on the computer, then that is what they will use. However, that also means there are a lot of other trialware type of programs on there that might never be used or even get in the way of doing real work on the machine.
Now, if you have experience with these programs, you might know which ones are useful and which ones aren’t. Perhaps you spend hours online looking up unknown programs to make sure they aren’t some type of spyware or junk. Some people aren’t willing to do this, and it can take quite some time.
Cisco Challenges Skype Deal Over Openness
According to a BBC Technology article, “Cisco to challenge Microsoft Skype deal at EU court”. This sounds like an interesting case, as it, for the first time that I’m aware of, is asking for interoperability between different video services. It is also an interesting problem because, as Elizabeth M Young at Helium points out in “Why Cisco is challenging Microsoft Skype deal”, “The problem for Cisco is that Cisco has the same open standards problem as Microsoft”.
It’s Broke, but the Arrogant and Stupid Don’t Understand That (or Denial Is Not a River in Egypt)
the technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum.
~ automation. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved February 21, 2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/automation
[Bolding mine]
Automation can occur a couple of different ways, but it almost always boils down to the use of computers, either as a controlling device for robotics or as means of running a program and crunching data.
However, automation is a means to an end, not an end of itself. After all, if there is no benefit, then there is little point in pursuing what hiring more human beings can do. It may be a means to reduce cost by replacing simple human action by a more efficient automated process. Perhaps it is a way to streamline getting a customer to the right expert to talk to, if not even to resolve the simpler issues. Whatever the reason, efficiency is surely part of the strategy, because if it is not, then the automation has failed. If the process requires constant intervention to keep it working, then it by definition is not efficient.
Let me repeat that: If it requires constant human intervention by someone other than an enduser, then it by definition is not efficient and is a failure. You would be better off with inefficient but adaptable human beings doing the process.
50th Anniversary of John Glenn’s Spaceflight, and He’s Not Happy
Today, The Telegraph reported “John Glenn’s fury over death of Nasa space programme”, in which he “has launched an attack on the administration of George W Bush after Nasa was forced to retire the space shuttles”. He was the first to orbit the earth. While speaking at the Kennedy Space Center, he points out how much money the US has spent in putting up a space station but now have no way to get there without hitching a ride from other nations.
"If there’s one thing we have learned through the history of our country, it’s that money spent on basic research has a way of paying back in the future beyond anything we ever see at the outset," he said.
Backup Considerations 3: Clonezilla, Acronis, EaseUS and Paragon
I previously reviewed Ghost, Acronis and Paragon in “Backup Software: And the Winner is …”. I’m not going to cover Norton Ghost again, and if you’re interested I suggest reading the previous article. It has changed a lot over the years, and I’m not convinced it gives you the best bang for the buck. In other articles, I have looked at present and past versions of Clonezilla as well, and it is certainly worthy of mention here. However, it seems I didn’t write about EaseUS previously, so I want to round out the major choices with that software as well. The last two should be considered because there are free versions for home personal use, but this review should aid you in knowing what you are getting for that price.
It should be stressed that I am not covering Windows Backup here for several reasons. The biggest reason is that I am assuming that your needs goes beyond whatever version of Windows Backup you have, but at least look at the criteria list below to aid you in knowing whether or not your version does what you need. The second biggest reason is that it changes with every version of Windows. So, I may or may not advise any of the solutions in this article if you have Windows 7 unless you also have an XP machine, for example.
Look Out, Dropbox, Microsoft 360 and iCloud, Google Drive Is on the Way
I wrote not long ago about using Dropbox in “Backup Considerations 2: Using Dropbox (and Comparisons to Other File Sharing Services)”. I did not include iCloud in the mix, but it has become quite popular because of its integration into iTunes. I’m not convinced that it is yet really something I’d want to use for mundane types of files, however, nor have I tried.
However, even as immature as iCloud is, it may already be facing its worst competitor. The Telegraph recently posted the article “Google Drive cloud storage coming ‘soon’”. It will synchronize content with Android devices. This means Apple and Google will both have services that sort of tie the users into them through the devices they use. Will this strategy work for either? Only time will tell.
Windows 8 Preview
Microsoft is unofficially scheduled to unleash its very public beta of the Windows 8 operating system on 29 February, according to an article published on 8 February on Fox News. This will coincide with the Mobile World Congress event later this month. The new operating system will sport the new “Metro” style interface that can be used across a number of touchscreens, and the unveiling during the event is called “convenient”.
In addition, the article points out that it has been designed to run on chipsets other than Intel, including the ARMs that power many Android tablets and phones.
Of course, there already is a widely available pre-beta Windows 8 Developer Preview straight from Microsoft for the brave. See the note on the download page, as it cannot be uninstalled if it doesn’t work out for you. Having read some of the woes of people who try to do things with pre-releases of software from Microsoft, I think I’ll wait at least until there is a real beta going on. I have to save some time for getting some work done, after all.
