The weather here in Provo is still rotten – May should never be this cold. It’d be nice to be able to spend more … continue reading: New phone]]> I finally have replaced my old Windows Mobile phone with a Nexus One. It’s taking me a while to get accustomed to the new interface, but I love having all of my Google accounts linked to the phone.

The weather here in Provo is still rotten – May should never be this cold. It’d be nice to be able to spend more time outdoors, but until it warms up and dries out, I’m stuck using my bike indoors.

Posted from Orem, Utah, United States.

This is what happens when you spend too much time … continue reading: Another use for a Gantt chart]]>

This is what happens when you spend too much time in Excel.

A few days ago I took the opportunity to install the release candidate of the next version of Windows, Windows 7. Release candidates are basically pre-release versions … continue reading: Windows 7 RC]]> I usually avoid writing about computer software (which I suppose is odd considering I’m majoring in computer science, but that’s another discussion entirely.) So consider this a rare exception that will not be soon repeated.

A few days ago I took the opportunity to install the release candidate of the next version of Windows, Windows 7. Release candidates are basically pre-release versions of a program or operating system that have already got most of the kinks worked out but may still be missing certain features. In the past, Microsoft has usually provided two release candidates of its operating systems before sending it to manufacturers, so there will most likely be an “RC 2″ before Windows 7 is ready for customers sometime in November or December.

From what I’ve been able to deduce so far, Windows 7 is basically Windows Vista done right. Microsoft has made it a lot easier for people like you to do things that people like me have done in Windows Vista, like reducing or disabling the annoying UAC popups that you get all the time in Vista. A lot of the superfluous programs that came included with Vista, such as Windows Mail, have also been removed, although you can install them from Windows Live should you so desire. This way, people who use Outlook won’t end up with two email clients on their computer, only one of which they actually use.

Windows 7 is also a lot smarter. Scary smart. A lot of drivers are included by default, so you don’t have to go download anything just to get it up and running. Here’s a shot of the new Devices and Printers control panel view:

Notice how the icons for my mouse, keyboard, and USB drive actually match the real devices. Freaky. And I did nothing at all to make them look that way.

The current release candidate is usuable until  June 1, 2010, at which point it will automatically shut down every two hours. If you find yourself in the position of having to choose between re-installing Vista or installing Windows 7, give 7 a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

7. USA Network. I’m signed up for updates on Monk and Psych, enough said. 6. ChaCha. A great service with an answer for almost everything and twice as many ads. 5. Google. … continue reading: 1,115]]> 1,115. That’s the combined total of text messages that I sent or received during my last billing period. Thank goodness for unlimited messaging plans, right? Here’s what I attribute that total to:

7. USA Network. I’m signed up for updates on Monk and Psych, enough said.
6. ChaCha. A great service with an answer for almost everything and twice as many ads.
5. Google. Another great SMS service for weather, prices, etc.
4. NY Times. Breaking news alerts without having to be constantly checking the site.
3. Facebook. It only gets annoying when one of the friends to whom you’re subscribed starts changing his or her status every 15 minutes.
2. Windows Mobile 6.1. Threaded messages are the best thing that ever happened to messaging. It’s like instant messaging, only better.
1. A real phone. I have a Samsung Blackjack II, which has a full qwerty keyboard, which means I don’t have to use some lame T9 dictionary.

KeePass Password Safe

A fantastic open source program with a single purpose: to keep track of all of your passwords. I started using KeePass when I kept having to reset passwords on my various domain accounts or write them down so I wouldn’t forget them. Obviously, writing down a password reduces … continue reading: Things that make life easier]]> A few things that make my life easier.

KeePass Password Safe

A fantastic open source program with a single purpose: to keep track of all of your passwords. I started using KeePass when I kept having to reset passwords on my various domain accounts or write them down so I wouldn’t forget them. Obviously, writing down a password reduces any amount of security a password provides, so KeePass allows me to store them without having to make a physical copy of them in an insecure format. KeePass also allows you to synchronize your password database with another file (it’s important to have a backup since all of your passwords are stored in it), which I use in conjunction with a copy of KeePass I run off of my USB drive when at work. So now, when my bank informs me that I can use a password of up to 32 alphanumeric characters, I go for it.

Fingerprint Readers

Everyone knows these things aren’t all that secure, especially the non-swipe variety, but it’s so nice not having to type my password in when I turn on my laptop in the morning. The software I use with mine, DigitalPersona, lets me use the fingerprint scanner built into my laptop to log in to sites I use often, such as the administration panel for this blog.

Pidgin

If you’re like me, you have accounts on Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! and AIM. Rather than having to install the clients for each, I use Pidgin and use a single client for all of my accounts. Best of all, it’s available for Windows and Linux/UNIX as well as Mac OS X via Fink.

Google Apps

I currently operate five internet domains, and I manage the email accounts for all of them through Google Apps. Which means that I can use multiple addresses rather than having a single inbox bombarded by emails from my financial accounts, school, spam, etc.

Regular Expressions

This one is kind nerdy, but regular expressions have saved me so much time while I’m doing web development. Just the ability to replace trailing whitespace followed by a line break in a plaintext document with “<br />” or converting a numbered list to a set of “<ol><li>…</li></ol>” tags is worth learning the remarkably simple syntax behind them. I use Notepad++, which has built-in RegEx support. If you’re interested in learning how to use regular expressions, I highly recommend http://www.regular-expressions.info — not for it’s design, which is horrid, but its extremely comprehensive tutorial.

I recognize the need for parents to monitor their children’s activities, especially when those children are at a point in their lives when they can be emotionally vulnerable to strangers over the internet. However, when those kids are in college, it’s … continue reading: Parents on Facebook]]> No, my parents aren’t on Facebook, nor do I think they ever will be. So let’s leave them out of this.

I recognize the need for parents to monitor their children’s activities, especially when those children are at a point in their lives when they can be emotionally vulnerable to strangers over the internet. However, when those kids are in college, it’s really weird for parents to want to buddy-up with all of their children’s friend on social networking sites. So how about it? How many friend requests have you gotten from your friends’ parents?

Also of note, … continue reading: Library Folding@Home team takes lead]]> The Harold B. Lee Library’s Folding@Home took this lead this morning as the top-scoring team at BYU. Congratulations, and thanks to those who have donated their CPU cycles to such a worthy cause. Now that the HBLL team leads at BYU, their next goal is to overtake the teams at Yale, U Minn, and the University of Oklahoma.

Also of note, the author of The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch, passed away today after his extended battle with pancreatic cancer. If you want to show your support for his widow and children, the easiest (and most meaningful) way is to purchase a copy of his book.

Rather than only revealing selected details, elaborate and clarify. This will help to deter future problems and ill feelings caused by feelings of deception or betrayal. One can too easily interpret the absence of an important detail (which may not be important to another) as the intentional … continue reading: Articles of Ethics]]> Transparency is better than simple honesty, but the combination of the two is even better.

Rather than only revealing selected details, elaborate and clarify. This will help to deter future problems and ill feelings caused by feelings of deception or betrayal. One can too easily interpret the absence of an important detail (which may not be important to another) as the intentional misrepresentation of facts.

Money should never be the first priority

When greed is the primary factor in any decision, judgment is often clouded and seldom produces a positive outcome. In terms of software, money should never take priority over the adherence to standards of quality, much less the specifications set forth by the customer. In terms of employment, the work environment, in all aspects, often has much more impact on one’s happiness than financial security.

It is always better to ask too many questions than to remain in doubt

If something is uncertain, then it is impossible for any permanent solution to be implemented. If anything is unclear, be it plan, motive or specification, the first and only reasonable action that can be taken is to resolve the doubt. Failure to resolve a doubt as soon as possible will only result in wasted time and efforts that could have been properly spent pursuing the correct goal if one had only bothered to ask more questions.

Time is not to be used as an excuse

When working on a project, time is too often used as a scapegoat in situations where the developer either failed to accurately evaluate his or her workload or was unable to properly manage their own schedule. By using time as an excuse, one automatically assumes that he or she is the only one who is affected by its influences, which is obviously as incorrect as it is conceited.

It is better to be wrong some of the time than to be right all of the time

No one is right all of the time – it’s just a fact of nature. The sooner this is accepted, the sooner one is able to achieve a better perception of their environment and their own fallacies. Coworkers will go out of their way to avoid someone who unable to accept input because they believe their own opinion to be superior to those of others.

A belief is the result of past experiences, not the end result of an extended proof

The fact that someone does not share one’s beliefs only means that they have had different and unique experiences over the course of their life. It does not mean that they oppose you personally, even if their beliefs seem to directly contradict one’s own. Taking such an antagonistic approach to other viewpoints can only result in missed friendships.