Brian H. Madsen - .Net Powered by Caffeine

More fun with Daemon Tools...

As i mentioned in an earlier post, Daemon Tools wanted to install their Sponsor Ad module. Naturally i choose not to, so i didn't expect it to put anything else in.

But more the fool to me - my "Home" page, which is "About:Blank" (and always will be), was reset to www.daemonsearch.com/au/ - not impressed here!

Live Search is still my default search provider so at least the Daemon Tools default search provider wasn't installed...

I'm sick and tired of companies sneaking in unwanted and completely unrelated features...IMHO it amounts to hijacking/spyware/adware/malware and the practice is seriously starting to piss me off.

You want to install an application - and you expect it to install the necessary components to support that application...but when they go outside of that scope and changes settings where it doesn't relate OR installs sneaky little tweaks like the one above i'm banning them...period. Daemon Tools are now officially on my Software Ban List...I should actually publish the list so other people can learn from my stupid mistakes.

Daemon Tools doing the "Ad" thing

I needed to get another "virtual media" a la .Iso file mounter as MagicDisc (which is the one i usually used) apparently can't get their fingers out to fix whatever is wrong with their 64-bit installer..getting a "Platform not supported" error on a 64-bit application installer is plain stupid..especially if the application is meant to be 64-bit compatible.

smart guys..

anyways, so i head on over to my old trusted Daemon Tools site (www.daemon-tools.cc) to see if i could get hold of one for 64-bit there.

And lo and behold, there's a 64-bit version..small download..2mb..ok..off we go...3 seconds flat and i have it..start the install and then see something in the installer.

Daemon tools ads module??? considering how many ad networks are being overrun by malicious adware/malware/spyware/allware i'm not likely to invite another one in the door.

I'm just glad i noticed this one before doing the next, next, next, next, finish routine on application i've used frequently in the past. You tend to start to trust them a little too much.

Daemon Tools default search provider? hmmm...i'm happy with Live.com and i certainly don't want Daemon Tools to hijack my IE...so that's a no..a BIG no as well.

Rather dissapointed to be honest - considering how much i've "trusted" Daemon Tools in the past i see a lesson here. Don't get complacent just because you think you know the application and this is just a "newer" version..sometimes bad things does creep up on you when you least expect it.

Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 - is this just me?

Finally!!!

4 attempts to install Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2008 and it's running.

Well, some of it are running. As always, i try before i buy since i'm not entirely sure i even want to run this application now, especially with the problems i seem to have with it.

First off, a trial should have ALL features available to you..period..you don't take a car for a test drive and remove 2 of the wheels and hope to sell it to the customer..

 
Secondly, since i'm "trialing" the application i click on nearly everything there is..enable whatever i can enable..

and voila, find a very nice feature (in theory that is) called "Keystroke encryption". That's a snazzy feature if i ever saw one. Encrypt the keystrokes to start with..excellent.

But...yes you knew there'd be a but in there somewhere...how annoying is it that each time i either move from tab to tab i have to click in the window an extra time before i can do anything. Nice feature, but damn inconvenient if you're not used to having to clicking twice in every window before getting access to it.

Visual Studio 2008 downloaded...time to play

Well, i've heard on the grapewine that the downloads for VS2008 was exceedingly slow - obviously because of the demand - and i also had 2-5b/sec transfer rates to it on the day it got released.

Anyways, today i kicked off another download and it was down in 1hr 50mins..

Yay! time to play! Will blog my installation experience

Blog for Perth IT&T Events established

I've put up a blog for IT&T events in and around Perth. The idea here is to have a central place to find events for Perth.

So if you want to know what's going on in Perth, subscribe to http://www.csharpzealot.com/blogs/perth-events/default.aspx

There's already some events being announced!

Trend Micro needs to get their gear sorted!

Since i'm idle at home I decided to do some "house cleaning" on my laptop.

I've recently moved to Vista 64-Bit (and yes, i'm very happy with the move) and needed to ensure that my baby still protected.

First off was the frustration with the upgrade from Trend Micro Internet Security 2007 to Trend Micro Internet Security 2008...from 32-bit to 64-bit...well that's a no go...not working.

Anyways, i decided to take a look at Trend's products again and see if maybe there's a dedicated 64-bit version...there is...good - but they now have a "Pro" version as well..didn't notice that last time - well Pro sounds good, but what is the differences?

 
Nice, there's a "Compare with other products" link..hmmm..

Ok, we're NOT going to see how it compares.

Anyways, i like to try-before-i-buy anyways so we fix things up with the "Easy Install" feature they have. Actually, if this works i'm happy again.

Alas, that was not the case tho...three attempts on going through the 4-step procedure was apparently too much for it.

4th time seems to be working as it's asking me to restart.

Need to restart now...

Helpful IE7 Interaction (?)

I've been using IE7 for quite some time now and have completely taken it on board.

Not only is it extremely stable (for me) but there's an amazing buzz around development for it - which naturally means it's evolving fast!

Today i saw, for the first time, one of the features it has. Namely protection.

I followed a link from a well-known podcasting service/provider/god site (DNR TV and yes, i am a big fan!) and it took me to the site i was asking for.

Only problem was, the SSL this site had implemented hadn't been issued to that site itself.

Fishing scam? don't know, but it certainly made me stop and think before just clicking happily away!

The site url was: https://www.mainfunction.com/patp/blog/archive/category/1035.aspx

and the error IE7 showed me was:

Knowing how many legitimate sites gets infiltrated today it was nice to see.

Feeling miserable..

Last night was a jockey of interesting proportions as i spent most of the night on the toilet.

Something I ate Sunday evening certainly didn't agree with me.

So today i'm spending a marathon between the office and the toilet...great!!

Jeff Dunham - Achmed The Dead Terrorist - AOL Video

Now this is hillarious!!! thanks for the link Glenn!

Jeff Dunham - Achmed The Dead Terrorist - AOL Video

whitepages.com.au gets hit by malware via their ads

Sandi Hardmeier uncovered a local, high volume site which had been infected with malware through their advertising/banner ads etc.

Sensis has been hit well and truely so please avoid the www.whitepages.com.au / www.yellowpages.com.au and of course www.whereis.com.au as they're all run under the same system.

for more details on this head on over to Sandi's blog:

Malwarealarm hits www.whitepages.com.au - Spyware Sucks

Well done Sandi for uncovering this hijack...

2 (Two) faces to XNA??

After my earlier nap on the bus i'm feeling refreshed again so decided to trawl through the blogs i subscribe to (as i so often do) and see that Scott Barnes blogged about the two upcoming XNA events held in November.

I was excited, to put it literally, as i read the opening paragraph.

To get XNA in the hands of trillions, in order to ensure XBOX Games like Halo3 continue to evolve so that I will eventually succumb to "death by XBOX 360".

Man did my excitement grow..MSFT was going to hold nation wide XNA events..Even though i'm not a game developer this was something i just had to attend.

Then i read on.

Training Requirements:

It's simple men/women, ensure you show up at these key locations with your I'm an XNA Coder secret decoder ring (actually just show up wearing clothes and having at least showered once this week).

Woah!!! no pre-requisites except to get one of them rings???

As i was sitting here, i didn't expect the flying drop kick to my jaw which shattered my chin, cheek bone and drove my molars into my gums...Sydney...oh, and wait..Melbourne...what a surprise!

I half expected the list to go on and was looking for a registration link which could have looked like this:

http://xnaperthpeteisensee.events.live.com/default.aspx

following the tradition of the other 2 (two) registration/event links:

http://xnasydneypeteisensee.events.live.com/default.aspx

&

http://xnamelbournepeteisensee.events.live.com/default.aspx

The irony isn't lost of me Scott..."To get XNA in the hands of trillions..." obviously means Perth is going not part of the "trillion" calculation.

Again, i know Perth is smaller than Sydney and Melbourne and i'm also sure the events aren't organised by Microsoft Australia - most likely it's done in Redmond.

So are Redmond totally unaware of the lack of events this state is seeing compared to Sydney and Melbourne? Not to forget Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra? Who can then bring this to their attention?

I had a very interesting conversation today with a Microsoft Gold Partner in Perth and the topic eventually entered Microsoft in Perth and how often we're loosing out.

I would dearly love to see the numbers that justifies Perth missing out constantly..obviously i'm not big enough a fish to get access to those, but it would be interesting..

So who can we go to if we want to get the attention of Redmond?

stupid bus and sleepless nights...

Here's one of the dumbest episodes of my life.

First some background.

As habit is, i walk my dog at night time just after my kids has gone to bed and being that it's now summer time it means that mozzies are now going rampant in all their horny glory.

So i acquired 19 mozzie bites on my legs and it's itching like mad. Hence i didn't get any sleep last night but felt that i could go through the day.

Our offices is near the top of St Georges Terrace in Perth and i wanted to go see a client and get some Lotus Notes databases from them which we're migrating into MOSS 2007.

So i leave the office and head down the terrace - it's hot outside so i decide to jump on the nearest bus going down the terrace and cut the 15-20 minute walk out with a bus ride instead.

Now, after about 2-3 minutes the gentle rocking of the bus + the heat knocks me out..eg. i fall asleep in the bus - route 37 i believe...then some time passes by and somebody shakes my shoulder gently, asking me if i had to get off at this stop.

I look out the window and see i'm at Perth Airport........how the hell did i get to Perth Airport????? i was just going down the terrace.

Stupid bus! couldn't it have NOT gone to the airport? seriously, i didn't want to go to the airport, but here i was.

Naturally I answer no and tell the driver i was just going down the terrace...nice...response was..i need to buy a ticket then...did i have cash on me? no...Anyways..i look a bit guilty and it must have shown. Luckily he lets me off and we head back to town.

I nearly fall asleep again on my way back to town..stop off at the bottom of the terrace and head over to my car, thanking the bus driver for the nap.

Lesson learned..stand up in the bus if I have to go down the terrace instead of sitting down.

Free Code Focus magazine issue...

Excerpt:

VSX CoDe Focus magazine is now online at http://code-magazine.com/focus/vsx. Microsoft sponsored this special edition of CoDe Magazine on the topic of VSX. The entire 76 page magazine is available online in multi-page HTML format and also as a PDF download (13MB). Printed copies of the magazine will be available in late October at various developer events and mailed to many existing CoDe magazine subscribers. 

Coates put it up there: Andrew Coates ::: MSFT : Visual Studio Extensibility CoDe Focus Magazine Online.

Nice, just got myself a look..think i may have to subscribe to that one..certainly goes well with my FHM subscription :)

Craig hits the spot...why is MSFT continuing to use Flash?

Tonight i took a breather and read up on the huge amount of blogs i've backed up as i've been faily busy these last couple of weeks.

Craig put something out there which IMHO i believe is true - MSFT is still using Adobe Flash on some of their coolest sites.

I mentioned some time back on my blog that some of the cool things that's being done by MSFT is still done using Flash.

Here's Craig's post: Blog:: Craig Pringle - Why are Microsoft holding SilverLight back?

Is Microsoft holding back? i'm sure there's reasons for the continued use of Flash, but it would be far more appropriate if they used Silverlight.

One point which I will sort of contend is that there's a parallel between Flash and Silverlight...IMHO Silverlight beats Flash's pants hands down, no contest..I remember in the "early" days of the interweb and having to work with Flash..it was a dog and i never really understood how anybody could justify that massive amount of time you need to make even the smallest of things with it.

What can i say, i'm biased and don't care..Flash is in my eyes dead, overused and useless...there..that's said - now move along, nothing to see here :)

Do corporates pay attention to blogs?

Sometimes there's blog posts out there that makes me cry...

why? because justice was served and service became the main focus of Lenovo. All from a blogger in Perth - Michael Kleef...

Granted, there's more than one side to the story, but it really shows how powerful blogs can be.

Michael blogged first about having to wait for ages to get a response, or even an update, to his laptop order from Lenovo. IMHO, the guy he did contact should seriously have taken a few minutes to think and then track down the REAL person that Michael needed to speak to.

Here's a link to the follow up story from Michael:

Michael Kleef ::: MSFT : The case of the super responsive Lenovo Australia team :)

What can be learned from this?

A number of things - but first and foremost it shows that corporates really does pay attention to the blogosphere. The influence some of the more prominent bloggers have is amazing. Lack of original service or not, his post really is a testament to how important blogs are becoming.

Naturally it's not the first time i've seen this happen - but rarely have i seen the effects cascade down the ladder this fast.

Well done Michael!

Now i seriously wish Dell would be as responsive as Lenovo was in this instance...I remember clearly the amount of grief i had with my XPS M1710 when it was first shipped which i blogged. Granted, i most likely don't have the sphere of influence that Michael has (should i get Michael to blog these issues next time???).

On another note..Dell vs. Lenovo? It's sometimes very hard to justify the cost of a laptop because you pay so much more for the mobility. I could have spec'ed out a seriously beast of a desktop for the price of my XPS M1710. I know we're now 6-7 months further along than when i bought the XPS, but IMHO Lenovo is a great contender by looking at the specifications.

That is to say, that the Lenovo's are portable, whereas the XPS M1710 isn't really that easy to lug around. I mean, 4.8kgs is a tad heavy. But i do have a nice 17" widescreen, a beast of a graphics card (7950GTX)..What lets this one down however is the hard drive..5400rpm oh and the battery life. I have a max of 2hrs on this one if i don't really do anything. That's simply just not good enough and I can see why Dell has pulled the M1710 off the shelf. It's a desktop replacement, without the flexibility of a desktop.

So, am i jealous of Michael's T61? yes..it's beautiful and packs a punch. Hopefully he'll show it off once he takes possession of it in the (near?) future.

Garden Project: Code name "Rosario", 99% complete

Phew, in full tradition of software releases, i've decide to dub my veggie patch/garden project "Rosario".

Note: any coincidental conflicts are solely accidental and you can ignore this or rename your own project.

I've blogged a bit about the changes done and my plans - but finally, my work is 99% complete as more will most likely come in future versions (the wife is the project manager so of course there'll be more work in the future..this is just the beginning and the possibilities are endless).

This weekend was probably the worst - it was hot..well for a Danish migrant living in Western Australia it was. Yesterday, when i put in the last bed and the paving between the shed and the fence, we hit 30-32 degrees Celsius and today when i finished the last touches on the bed we reached 35 degrees Celsius. So hot, hot, hot...

That's how it looks from the front now.

The wife has already started planting/placing the seedlings she's grown in the bed and they're thriving.

Now to find another project to start on - will consult with my better half as i'm sure there's more around here i can do..

64-bit Vista cannot run Live applications??? woot??

Yeah, i know, that's the same expression i had on my face - a total "woot" face when i got this notification popping up after trying to install Windows Live Writer (latest release that is).

Errr...insofar as i see, that's bullocks...i can run other 32-bit applications easily enough. They even get their own "Program Files" directory AND i'm using an earlier release of WLW than the current one that's available for download.

So what have the "fools" on the WLW team done? can't say i'm impressed. This post is written on version 1.0.1 (6) which is a Beta release. But the current on available for download can't be run?

Nopes, easily admitted i'm not impressed with that message..what a cop-out if i've ever seen one! the WLW team seriously need to get their act together. I'd have expected something like this from a 2 man, backyard show...

no - definitely not impressed..did i mention i wasn't impressed?

This is the first time i've had problems with 64-bit Vista...everything else has worked just brilliantly...hmmmmpfff!

First day in - Induction day

Well, today i started my new gig at Change Corporation - and being the type of person i am, i have to admit that i'm impressed so far.

The people are really friendly and it has the feel of a generally positive atmosphere.

I also received my new laptop today - nice little dual core HP..Much lighter than my XPS. 4Gb of ram and we're rocking.

I spent most of the day in the induction "seminar", getting to know the systems around the office and meeting a string of people.

The fact that the MD and Chairman of the Board came in to give their spiel was really refreshing. I still have to meet the rest of the gang that i'll be working with, but hopefully that'll happen tomorrow.

Am already on my first project so it's all happening now. Can't wait to get my hands dirty!

One of the aspects that really impressed me was that i was encouraged to keep up my community work. That's a major bonus for me.

So, lets see where the wind blows!

Dynamics - confusion in the interweb

David Lemphers hit on a very true topic - what is CRM...or rather, what is Microsoft Dynamics.

I've had the same experience re: confusion about what Microsoft Dynamics is and each time i've heard the single phrase "CRM".

David explains what Microsoft Dynamics is over on his blog.

it's worthwhile having a read of this summary as i'm sure it'll clear many things up.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the team is now aware of this) it does point out that the Dynamics teams isn't visible enough. Ask anybody what the Office 2007 suite contains today and i'm sure they can give you more than just one application.