Safari 4 Relegated To Back Up Browser, Again

Now that Apple has taken Safari 4 out of beta and made it look and act like Safari 3, I will go back to using Firefox. Put the tabs back on top and make Safari look like a browser for the year 2009 and not this boring and tired old design. Besides, Firefox is more reliable than Safari.

If you like the tabs on top, do not update to the newest version of Safari.

Ari Fleischer Rewrites History

How dare Ari Fleischer go on National TV and say that President Obama and us should all be grateful that we live in a World without Saddam Hussein, when we still live in a World with Bin Laden. You all remember him, the one that attacked the U.S.? And let us not forget who was in the White House when we were attacked by Bin Laden. Bushies, please go away!

Chrome and Safari 4 Browsers

It seems like forever since I posted anything. And quite honestly, I just haven't had a lot to say. But the bigger reason is Facebook and Mob Wars. Damn that is addictive. But I did want to mention two things.

Last week, Apple released the beta of their new Safari 4. And as far as I can tell so far, they have done a nice job. The overall appearance has been upgraded including tabs on top like Chrome and Opera. For PC's, it fits in with the Windows theme and environment better. Safari now gives you your favorite sites using Apple's Cover Flow. Not unlike what Opera and Chrome already offer, but it looks nicer. And speaking of Chrome, I came across something called Crossover Chromium.

Crossover Chromium is Google's Chrome that has been ported to work on OS X. It has been done by Codeweavers. The site stresses that this is just an example of what Chrome might look like on a Mac, and not to be used as your primary browser, but I haven't had too many problems with it, but I haven't used it too much yet.

So I Am Not The Only One Who Thought This

Apple Allows Individual DRM Updates

Every once in awhile, a company does the right thing for it's customers, and today Apple has done that. When Apple announced they were moving to DRM free music, you had the opportunity to upgrade, but all or nothing. Well after a couple weeks of people complaining, myself included, Apple has changed their policy. You can now upgrade individual songs or albums instead of having to do all.

So, now I am beginning the upgrade process. Did about 80-100 songs for this week, and next week I will do some more, and hopefully in a couple weeks, I will be all caught up. Thank you Apple for making the right decision!

Hyundai Trying New Approach To Sell Cars

Hyundai is now offering people who purchase one of their vehicles now, a way to get out of their loan if they lose their job in the next year. I am sure there is some red tape in there somewhere, but from what I see, it seems pretty straight up.

Daley on Blago

Whose Eyes Were Opened More By A President Obama?

Just having my coffee and watching a little morning Joe, and they were just talking about how this is a historic day because, among other things, the first black American has become President. They made the point that this changes how every black child or parent looks at what they can do in life now. I would agree on both points, but, I would also add that this changes the way white Americans think as much as black Americans think.

If we look at things only by the numbers, black Americans could not alone vote in a black candidate. So who is the one that didn't think a black American could be President? I would say, President Obama has changed the way white America thinks more than the way black America thinks. He may have made black America more proud and confident then they were a year ago or 10 years ago, but he isn't the first black that woke up one day and said I want to be President of The United States, and he certainly won't be the last. I guarantee, that there were as many white Americans, right or wrong, who woke up one Wednesday morning in November 2008 and said, he actually did it?

So let's forget the color of my skin, your skin and President Obama's skin, and let's worry about the colors that matters in America right now, red, white and blue! We need people of all colors, backgrounds and status to come together and fix the huge issues that are ahead for our Country.

Adios Vista, Hello Windows 7.....

So, it has been about a week or so that I have been using the Windows 7 beta(32 bit), and I have to say, it's not your parents Windows.

I made the switch to Mac about four or five years ago because I just hated Windows. While I may not be Geek Squad quality, I do have an above average understanding of computers, so I'll take some of the blame for Windows running bad, but I don't know many people who love Windows. Since then, I have become what many would say is an Apple fan boy. Two Macs, many iPods, iPhone and iPhone 3G. With that said, two recent developments have made me rethink my loyalty to Apple and their computers.

The first thing, and the thing that is really bugging me, is how you have to update ALL of your songs in iTunes at once to make them DRM free. The last thing I feel like doing in this time of economic crisis, is spend $110 to update my iTunes library to iTunes Plus. Since Apple announced this, there has been a new policy for users of iTunes to accept, and I refuse to. So not only I have I not upgraded, I have not bought any songs, apps or moives/TV shows. Nor am I able to update my applications for my iPhone. So, I update the apps threw the App Store on my phone and hope MobileMe is stable and won't lose my contacts so I can keep syncing while bypassing iTunes sync. I know for some, this may be a small issue, but it just rubs me the wrong way.

The second reason, and maybe the bigger reason for the possible change, is Windows Vista(yes I said Vista) and the beta of Windows 7(which I am not sure is really a new OS instead of a major update to Vista). I was running Vista on boot camp only for a few weeks, and when the Windows 7 beta was released, I decided to run Windows 7 in boot camp and Parallels. First impressions are this is Vista with a new outside and some new features and improvements. I have loaded all the same programs and apps on 7 as I had on Vista, and all the versions are Vista versions and they run with no problems. The only problem I have had with 7 was sound on the initial install. All I did after reading a few forums was download and install the Nvidia R2.12 driver, and sound was there. And my late 2007 MBP has a Windows Experience score of 5.0, so all the features of 7 are there.

I am actually enjoying using Windows for the first time. I have tweaked out Firefox with a stylish code that I messed with and the extension glasser to get the glass look above(to get glasser to work in 3.1b2, you will need to install Mr Tech in stable release of Firefox and create an account on Mozilla to override version check). Besides computers, all my electronic components have always been Sony, so maybe it is time to give a Vaio notebook a try. Plus, I can get a notebook with a Blu ray drive, a market that Apple is slow to enter, which probably has something to do with iTunes and AppleTv. Maybe the answer is getting an iMac and a Vaio for basically the same price as a loaded new MBP.

Anyway, Windows 7 , IMO, will change the way people use and enjoy Windows. But, if you have problems with Vista, you will have problems with 7. If you enjoy Vista, then you will really enjoy 7. Oh, I am using 7 to post this.

Just Amazing!

Today's crash landing of a US Airways plane into the Hudson River, is possibly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Not live of course, but the results and the stories from passengers, are almost too much for words. The pilot, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, is definitely the pilot I want next time I fly. Although, something tells me that this event will change not only the lives of those he saved, but his own.

The Associated Press reported that Sullenberger, 58, described himself in an online professional profile as a 29-year employee of US Airways. He started his own consulting business, Safety Reliability Methods Inc., two years ago.

I am willing to bet that phone is ringing off the hook tonight!

Triple Dog Dare

Stupid is, as stupid does

In Hammond,Ind., police were called to the scene of a similar crisis Tuesday night. A 10-year-old boy got his tongue stuck on a frozen street light.

Apple Goes DRM Free, Then Kicks You In The Groin!

Yesterday's confirmation from Apple that iTunes will go DRM free was much welcomed. There are so many reasons why DRM free music is good for us, and having Apple finally come to some terms with the studios, is long overdue. However, Apple will only let you update your songs at once. And all, not the ones you want. What does this mean?

Well for me, it means $101 to start to make my iTunes library DRM free. I would love to start updating my music, but not all at once. I have read on one of the threads at Mac Rumors that one of the guys has to spend over $600 to make his DRM free, and that is all at once. Apple really needs to rethink this model, cause until they do, I guess my older music will be burned as MP3's like I have done in the past to get around DRM, and Apple and the studios will get no money! Or, I will start using Amazon for $.79 a song instead.