Spring Equinox, into the light...

Spring, Primavera, Printemps, Frühling is here! It came yesterday with an treasure of light to spread over the darkness... I always had this idea of wearing, during the first days of spring, a t-shirt with a picture of me wearing a beard that read: "I survived another New York winter!" It never happened, not only because I no longer want to grow a beard but because I prefer other publicity outlets rather than a piece of garment. Though, the message remains: We have survived not only the winter, but also the recession, the urban desert, the bout of unemployment, the odd jobs... We are here, sound and safe, with a job, thank God!, with renovated hopes, with the same big dreams, with poetry alive and kicking, expectant and optimistic. This is the time to fight and grow and prosper. Screw the bad news! Now, for some more info about the spring equinox...

UAC in Windows Vista: simply a non-issue

It sounds already like a broken record. Users and IT "experts" whining and complaining about one of the key security features of Windows Vista: User Account Control (UAC). And over this subject there's considerable contention: some are in favor and many "don't like it". My opinion regarding this is clear: UAC is a non-issue. I know users have to use UAC to protect themselves from malware (spyware, Trojan horses and viruses), and the objective of UAC is simple: to ask for elevated privileges to install software or hardware, change system settings, etc. not always legit, but triggered precisely by malware. In Windows Vista everybody runs as a standard user, including members of the Administrators groups and that's why even when your are logged as Administrator you will still get the UAC prompt. At any rate, much ado about nothing! (UAC is however, from a technical viewpoint, a very interesting and crucial subject in bringing out the best of Windows Vista and 7).

My IT predictions for 2009

I am not a magician or a IT psychic but I'd like to venture some thoughts:

• Windows Vista will gain acceptance, thanks to the good reviews of Windows 7, which actually is an upgrade of Windows Vista.
  


• Windows 7 will be released in November 2009.


• Adoption of Netbooks, which I consider oversized PDAS, will grow by the summer only to drop sharply by the end of the year.
  


• The iPhone will continue to be the major player among smartphones, but Windows Mobile adoption will grow as well (expect previews of Windows Mobile 7 in the autumn) and the Palm Pre will definitely make waves.
  


• Users will start demanding more matte screens, as opposed to unsightly and unusable glossy screens (in laptops) which are actually a fad of the last 3 years.
  


• Interest in Cloud computing will wane to its deserved level: a good technology that certainly will not replace established data centers. They will simply coexist.
  


• Linux and its countless distributions will stay at the same level of acceptance as they are now, no fluctuations.
  


• The Internet will start to become less secure and at the same time less democratic. New laws will arise. Governments will start to intervene more.
  


• Japanese and Chinese will come up with new Internet paradigms and will also be able to start using their languages on the address line: URLs in Japanese and Chinese! Just another sign of the beginning of the end of the Western world predominance in science and technology.

A synthesis of memorable images

"Photosynth is a potent mixture of two independent breakthroughs: the ability to reconstruct the scene or object from a bunch of flat photographs, and the technology to bring that experience to virtually anyone over the Internet..." Photosynth was inspired by the breakthrough research on Photo Tourism from the University of Washington and Microsoft Research. How about some 'photosynths' from the the Obama inauguration event in Washington today? It's the coming of age of this new technology. You may need to install a new add-on in your browser.

A surreal marvel on the Hudson, a formidable homage to life!

Today was an unforgettable day in this New York where we live and survive and enjoy life. What happened is all over the media and the Internet, around the globe. Strangely enough, after digesting the news of what actually happened during this unusual episode in the midst of a chilly winter and an eerie economic recession, I felt a powerful jolt of energy, a swell of gratitude not before being profoundly moved by the miracle that took place over the murky and bitterly cold waters of the Hudson river. A formidable homage to life, no less! Another overwhelming proof that nothing should be taken for granted. [Photo: REUTERS, Brendan McDermid]

Windows 7: ushering in the convergence of new media

From what I've seen of Windows 7 so far I can draw some conclusions (some obvious and some not so obvious): • First of all, for those unsuspecting users, Windows 7 is a revamped, improved, slimmed down, beautified (as if it was necessary) Windows Vista • Windows 7 is the OS that will shut up Linux and Mac zealots, simply because it has the best of those worlds plus the already mature Vista technology; whatever you found 'cool' there, you will find it here, and then some. However, don't get me wrong, I will continue to follow and appreciate all the improvements (and innovations) you may find in Linux and Mac systems. • Windows 7 is the convergence of new media into one operating system, this time consolidated, refined and ready for the masses, namely, Internet TV, Windows Media Center with Touch, and easier Home Networking, among many others. We're living in interesting times, believe or not and, as keynote speaker Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, put it at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), when he introduced Windows 7 Beta, "despite the economy, I hope you all agree with me, that our industry has an incredible, incredible opportunity ahead of us. I'm certainly incredibly excited to be a part of this industry." These trying times are the breeding ground for innovation and new developments. Let's embrace the challenges! See what's new in Windows 7.

Will 2009 be the year of Windows 7?

Making a quit recap, Windows Vista was released back in January 2007 and spent a troublesome year mostly because of hardware and software compatibility issues. Not because of the operating system capabilities. Then, in 2008, Service Pack 1 (SP1) came along and Vista started to show its real strength and beauty, but the damage to the image of the product was already done. However, Vista overcame successfully a nasty and biased smear campaign by the media and the competitors (read, Mac and Linux). Back to the present, 2009, and you have a big and strong multitude of followers everywhere. No doubt this will be the year of Windows Vista. But looming on the horizon is Windows 7, now getting closer and closer to the launch pad and it is just fair to ask if 2009 will be the year of Windows 7, as well. I like what Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, the PC Doctor, says of Windows 7, when he compares it to XP and Vista: if you’re looking for a solid OS then Windows 7 seems ready to deliver just that - a fast, reliable, relatively easy to use platform for your hardware and software.