Windows 7: A return to Windows 1.0?
I just found something really interesting that I didn’t know, and I’m not sure how many people know about this. Apparently Windows used to have a feature at the bottom of the screen that showed you the programs that you had open. Not only that, but it pre-dates the Apple Dock by about fifteen years! It even pre-dates NextStep OS by about two years, which is what the Apple Dock was based on.
When? In Windows 1.0, of course.. in 1985. Take a look at these two screenshots to see where Windows started and where it is going:
Wow Paint!
My friend Ryan, from DeLand, FL made this video about the incredible program known as Microsoft Paint.
“Wow Paint! A tribute to the best software ever created.”
Kindle 2 vs. Stanza – Poll
There are two eReaders that are available either now or soon. I was doing some research on Amazon.com’s Kindle 2, which was announced yesterday, and found it to be a very good step up from the original, according to reviews that I have read. It also has instant access to Amazon’s Kindle store without needing a wireless hub or internet access, which is a great plus.
But then I stumbled onto a post on Twitter about Stanza, created by LexCycle. Someone said that Stanza is the reason that no one will ever need a Kindle. So I looked that up, and found that it, too, is a potential option. The only thing is that I’d need an iPod Touch. Not only that, but the books look like they’re cheaper on Stanza. Sure, they don’t have the same level of selection as Kindle, but they do have the books that I would want. The real downside is that you need a wireless connection to make the connection.
In fact, both devices offer all of the books that I would love to be able to have with me wherever I go.
And this morning I discovered Plastic Logic’s eReader, which seems like it won’t be available for at LEAST a year.
So I’m at a loss for what device or software would best serve my needs / wants.
[poll id="2"]
How many versions of Windows 7 will Microsoft release?
According to the Windows 7 Beta, there will be more than one version of the next Windows OS. I had been hoping that Microsoft would get a little smarter, and release a single version of their operating system, like Apple does with OS X. I suppose we have to wait for Windows 8, or a revolt, for that.
I am sure that the variations of the OS is set up to appease the many that have purchased a certain edition in the past, but the problem with releasing so many versions of the operating system is that there no clear difference between the capabilities of each version of Windows.
Ordered Adobe Production Premium, Dreamweaver and Fireworks CS4
Yesterday, I took the plunge and ordered Adobe Creative Suite 4. The great news is that I got free shipping AND saved $200 on the upgrade for Production Premium. Hooray for that!
The bad news is the same problem that I had with ordering Fireworks CS4 was duplicated when I tried to order it again. I had to create a separate order just to get it. It shouldn’t have worked out this way, but it did.
I put the Production Premium CS4 upgrade into my cart, and followed that up with the Dreamweaver CS4 upgrade. At that time, it asked me if I was in need of the upgrade of full version of Dreamweaver, to which I obviously answered with the upgrade.
I believe that is the root of the problem. You see, it sets that option then, for every other individual software, or at least that’s my impression. I suppose that if you were ordering upgrades for individual programs, it would save you a click or two, but it caused me to pull out my hair. I would have liked to have an option to click OUT of that for other programs. It would have made ordering the full version of Fireworks CS4 a breeze. Instead, I put in my order for the other software (and selected the fastest shipping time available… hey, it’s free!). Then I proceeded to the Fireworks page, and added the full version to my cart without a problem, submitting a second order.
At least the shipping is free on both. But still, there’s an oversight that I’m going to report to Adobe at my earliest convenience.
I’m excited to check it all out, though, and to finally have Adobe software that makes use of the computing power that I have. Now all that I need is Windows 7 64-bit (I’m skipping Vista), and instead of using only 3 GB of RAM, it’ll use all 4. That’ll be a nice day. Moving from 32-bit to 64-bit, and from 3 GB of RAM to 4 GB with a single install of what is reportedly Microsoft’s best operating system in years.
Twila Paris – Where He Leads Me Music Video
Yesterday I put the finishing touches on this music video for Twila Paris’ 1995 song, “Where He Leads Me” from the album “My Utmost for His Highest.”
I was asked by Dr. David Denbraber to put together a video for the song, on Sunday evening. I worked on it over three days with my only instructions being: use this song, he’ll be focusing on some key words from the song.
I spent some time looking through my pictures from World Youth Day (Sydney, Australia, 2008). I started putting the pictures together, and then I worked on getting all of the lyrics in, and timed with the song.
I used Adobe After Effects CS3 for the entire project.
There are a few slight hiccups in the final video, but those are very miniscule and you’re probably not really paying as much attention to detail as I do.
Mission Trip to Juarez Promotional Video (Christmas 2007)
Back in late February or early March of this year, Deacon Ken Baldwin called me up. He had herd that I can edit video pretty well, and wondered if I could give him a hand with something. He wanted to make a video to promote the mission trips to Juarez, Mexico. Now, what we had were a few CDs of pictures from two cameras. One of those cameras wasn’t as high-definition as the other, so some of the pictures don’t look the best. But the results, I am still happy with.
Video: Juarez, Mexico Mission Trip – Christmas 2007
Song: Come to the Water – Matt Maher
Narrated by: Deacon Ken Baldwin.
For more information on how you can get involved, contact Deacon Ken Baldwin at The Shrine of St. Francis Xavier and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Grand Rapids, MI.
Making Movies – Fight Scene
I am a filmmaker at heart, and a few years ago a friend and I put together this fight scene for a Mock-documentary that my friends and I were making. I still have hope that we’ll finish it some day, but I’m not currently holding my breath. We haven’t touched it in about five years.
The editing, cinematography and choreography are all original, and I added the laugh track because it really gave the whole thing some flavor.
CS4 Announcement, Thank You Adobe, Please Help
Adobe has announced the CS4 line of products, and again I feel somewhat slighted. You see, I am the Chief Creative Officer at my company, and I do it all. From web design to video editing, my hands are in everything. I use, regularly, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Premiere, After Effects, OnLocation, Encore and Illustrator. I’d also like to get my hands on Fireworks.
That’s where the problems begin.
They offer four CS4 bundles, and none of them suit my specific needs/wants. All of them offer great products, and one offers everything and more (far more than I would ever use), and that’s CS4 Master Collection.
I currently own Adobe CS3 Production Premium, and Adobe Dreamweaver CS3.
So, I’m at a loss when it comes to upgrading. I was thinking of upgrading Dreamweaver, buying Fireworks, and upgrading to Production Premium CS4.
But when doing a comparison of Adobe Creative Suite 4 editions, you notice something funny at the bottom of the list: Adobe Version Cue® CS4 is a part of every collection except for CS4 Production Premium. Why not, Adobe? It could be fun to give it a shot, and it’s included with every other bundle. Not to mention the fact that there is no price tag associated with it. Granted, I would be getting Adobe Dynamic Link with Production Premium, and that’s a really great thing. But still, what’s up with leaving that one program out of only one bundle?
Another thing that happened, as I was adding things to my cart on Adobe’s website, to see if upgrading to Master Collection was worth doing. I added the upgrade of Dreamweaver, and then when I went to add Fireworks, it wouldn’t even let me select that I didn’t want an upgrade. I don’t currently have any previous version of Fireworks, so getting the upgrade wouldn’t work, as the Fireworks upgrade details require me to have Adobe Fireworks CS3, Macromedia® Fireworks 8, or MX 2004, of which I have none.
But there is some good in all of this.
There’s a site that is pretty new (only a few weeks old), which gained the attention of Adobe within 24 hours of its’ launch. That website is Dear Adobe. There, you can agree with, disagree with and post your own gripes about all of Adobe’s products. You can also mark certain gripes as inaccurate. Adobe got in touch with the site’s owner, and quickly began working with him to devise a way for him to package the gripes in a way that Adobe can use them.
So there is hope that the most popular of the gripes will be addressed in the future, and we have a voice that we can use to help Adobe to better meet our needs. Today, they’ve responded to the top 25 After Effects gripes!
CS4 is really impressive, though.
I am thoroughly impressed with the CS4 line, so far, and can’t wait to get my hands on the software. I’m really hoping that the improvements to the software really do help with performance. I’m also looking forward to the new CSS features in Dreamweaver.
One thing that I would love to see in Dreamweaver’s code view in the future is something that Textmate has (I’ve only seen it second hand, I’m on a PC). The ability to highlight code in columns and rows, without highlighting everything in each row. Then, when typing, it types the same thing in every line that was highlighted. That would save a lot more time when working with code.
Either way, though, the code finder stuff in Dreamweaver CS4 is going to be very fun to use.
I’m looking forward to it.
