Vista and BCM
Windows Vista Mobile Device settings are not allowing sync with Business Contact Manager. Perhaps because it's still in Beta. I'll be checking on a workaround.
New Vista Review
I installed Windows Vista Business Upgrade yesterday and am doing some final configuring today. I am running an AMD Athlon 64 processor, 1 gig DDR memory, Nvidia Gforce 7100 WDM video card, MSI K8N motherboard. I feel like parts of Vista are still in Beta, but most things are working. The install from start to first icon filled screen took 30 minutes. It actually took longer than that but I learned a couple of things.
- Unlike XP, you cannot install an upgrade version by booting from the disk. You must install it from inside Windows. And because I tried to install from my current Windows XP Pro with very little space (only 2 Gigs) left on the hard drive, it was unable to install. I could not tell it to put its install files on my huge empty Drive D.
- Nor can you just tell it to look for a Windows CD to install. I had to install Windows to my D Drive and then install Vista. So 40 minutes for the Windows XP and 30 minutes for the Vista.
Another observation: Even with 1 gig of memory, I am still using 75 to 90 percent of it just by running Outlook 2007 and normal startup programs. Memory usage seems to get worse the longer the computer is on. So I'm recommending 1.5 to 2 gigs of memory to start.
Ease of install: barring the initial problems, install was practically perfect. It installed all hardware automatically except for printers and scanners. It took a couple of boots for everything to work but it did work.
My Dell Axim synced easily with me doing almost nothing. I do not like this Beta synchronization program, however. It doesn't let me know whether it's syncing my business contacts or just what is syncing. And I had no choices. I ended up with duplicate calendar entries for years. I had to buy a program to remove the dupes. As for Business Contact Manager syncing I'll just have to create a new contact and see.
Neither of my printers installed easily. I am using a USB connected Konica Minolta 2300W color laser connected by USB and a Xerox Docuprint P8. I finally got the Konica Minolta to install but the Xerox will not. I use it for everyday printing because black is cheaper. Looks like its new printer time. I can't fault Microsoft for this. This Xerox printer was a little difficult to install in Windows XP; the drivers were written for Windows 2000. And Xerox had problems with this printer.
Nor did Vista detect my scanner, an Epson Perfection 1650. I haven't tried installing it yet manually yet. Oops, it did detect it but didn't know what to do with it. It's in Device Manager with an exclamation point. Another quibble, I have an APC battery backup and Vista thought I was running on battery. I was able to change that, but it's odd.
Software: MS Office 2007 installed perfectly, of course. TurboTax installed perectly but could't find the returns I'd been working on. I'll deal with that later. Adobe Acrobat 8 and Flash Player installed perfectly. Freeware that I use installed well: Password Safe (to store passwords) and AVG Antivirus. I cannot use my preferred Zone Labs Internet Security because it's not available for Vista yet.
I'll post more as I try other things.
Review: Paul: A Musical Journey
Last night, at the Palace Theatre, I saw Paul: A Musical Journey. It was much better than I expected. True to history in it's general plot, with a musical story line that kept me interested. There was humor and some pathos. You can read more about this musical here . Musically, It was a very good mix of the various types of instrumental music: light jazz, gospel, and R&B. The musicians were strong, and there was good interplay between the instruments and the excellent vocals. The plot moved fluidly from one scene to another with the help of an able narrator. There were a few technical glitches: men's voices tended to overdrive the mics, a couple of lighting problems, and one scene I would have cut because it added nothing (the scene with John Mark and his mother encourging him.) Some of the dramatic effects unintentionally created laughter which was fine because there was light humor throughout. For a humorous look at the Apostle Paul with excellent music and vocals, give this a try. I don't know what it takes to schedule something like this, but but just a quarter page ad in the late fall is not sufficient for something performed in late January. There was a little mention the Thursday prior but nothing on radio stations, TV, billboards, or any place else in the newspaper. So many people missed a worthy performance. If it comes back I will encourage friends to see it.
Fiction of the Year--2006
I don't often read fiction, but I read a lot of it last year. Below you will find my short list of recommendations. Click on any title to see it at Amazon.
- Sutter's Cross by W. Dale Cramer--Absolutely the best fiction I read last year. Well written, excellent character development. If you only read 1 novel, read this one.
- Outriders and Trackers by Kathryn Mackel--a series for fantasy lovers--I'm not one, especially, but these books are well-written and drew me in to the plot, the characters, and the situations. I hope never to be in that world, but it gave a glimpse of good reclaiming what was lost.
- Shoofly Pie and Chop Shop by Tim Downs--light-hearted forensic mysteries. Just what I needed!
- Germ and Comes a Horsman by Robert Liparulo--Thrillers. I'm not sure which one I liked best. Germ started abruptly and perhaps would make a better screenplay than a novel. Comes a Horseman had better character development. But I liked both.
Xanga Dead
OK, I'm able to log onto my Xanga blog and see it and make changes, but I cannot load it from Firefox or IE. I can load Xanga's web page, but when I try to see my blog page it loads nothing. So, if Xanga's not dead, it's dead to me, and I paid for premium and this is free! Not as many perks and other things, but I can access it from anywhere and so can you.
For this blog, my older blogs are listed on the right. Most were done today, so check them out.
Friday, January 05, 2007
The author of the book I'm reading (and his wife) had the deep desire for children, but infertility kept him and his wife from having any. They tried for years without success and with they pain only other infertile couples why desire children can understand. Then one day they adopted a child, and 4 years later, they were able to adopt another, not the original desires of their hearts as they knew those desires, but a secondary option. Today those two adopted children are the hearts' love and the hearts' desire realized. The author noted that these two particular children would never have been part of their lives, had they not had to suffer through infertility. |
Light Exposing Darkness
A quick note: I have moved my Blog here because Xanga was just not responding, while Blogger Blogs are. . . anyway I have been reading the Pauline Epistles (the letters Paul wrote while in prison) and a couple of things have poppped out at me. OK, it's not just the Pauline Epistles, but the totality of my reading and conversations. . . anyway the 2 things that popped are this:
- We are not to be captivated by hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world (Letter to Colossians)
- We are to have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done in secret. But everything exposed to light becomes visible. (Letter to Ephesians)
So read this book. If you are not a statistician or scientist, you might want to skip to then end of some of the sections and read the conclusion. Reading the end of every paragraph will give you a clue. But non-statiscian, non-scientist me is reading every word and thinking. Because as Tufte said, quoting someone else, it is better to be ambiguous than to lie. But read the book for yourself and see how "truth" presented in a common visual manner leads to lies that kill.
Second, a mature person does not need to be afraid of deeds done in darkness. It is good for us to have a healthy fear but not so much fear that we cannot even expose what is being done and be healed. I just read a good example from a website that helps people with sexual problems
Problems with Norton Internet Security 2007
Although PC Magazine gave NIS 2007 a great review, I am dis-recommending it. It comes without full features (Spam blocking, parental controls) unless you download them as an add-on from an obscure area of Symantec's website. If you are one of the unfortunate many looking for the download, click on the link on the home page of my website. HOME PAGE
And I put it up so quickly that I haven't yet spaced it properly. Do not click on the ad below it, just the words.
They say blogging is dying
They say blogging is dying. . . I read it in the newspaper . . . so it must be true! But I communicate better in writing than in speech. By the time I have edited and spoken my speech, the topic has usually changed! So blobbing along, blogging a song, blogging a thought will continue for me!
Friendship
I was with someone who kept getting phone calls. Her husband said that it must be one of her many friends. I don't have "many" friends. Perhaps because I'm an introvert. But, I'm frequently looking for ways to do friendship better.
C. S. Lewis, one of my favorite authors, said this:
[W]e picture lovers face to face, but Friends side by side; their eyes look ahead. That is why those pathetic people who simply "want friends" can never make any. The very condition of having Friends is that we should want something else besides Friends. Where the truthful answer to the question Do you see the same truth? would be "I see nothing and I don't care about the truth; I only want a Friend," no Friendship can arise--though Affection of course may. There would be nothing for the Friendship to be about; and Friendship must be about something, even if it were only an enthusiasm for dominoes or white mice. C.S. Lewis The Four Loves (New York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1960), 98.
Perhaps I'm one of those "pathetic people," just wanting friends to have friends, so my phone can ring off the hook. And at least there is some part of me that does want this. The other part of me would be annoyed if the phone rang so often! I really just want a few friends with a friendship about something but not dominoes or white mice or hiking, or music, or books. I want friends that look to the spiritual. . . how to do life, what matters, where do we go and how do we get there. . . . I want to share real life, not the stuff we fill it with until life ends. I want to know the other person so well that I can better love him/her. And I want the other person to know me as well. And yes, we will focus on something and someone beyond us.
Old blogs
I have just moved to Blogger so here are my old Blogs.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
 | Currently Listening Live at the New Earth By Waterdeep Who am I? see related |
Sorry for the long wait!
Well, I meant to blog on a weekly or monthly basis, but time has gotten away from me. . . we've experienced cat deaths, setting up a guardianship for my dad, getting him into a nursing home, and then having him suddenly die about a month later. I don't usually advise people to find an attorney simply by doing a web search, but that's what I did. I searched google using my zip code , found an elderlaw firm nearby, called and made an appointment. . . only to find out that the attorney leads a small group at my church. Don't do what I did ,but in my time of great need , God's provision was evident.Now we've just buried another cat and we're in the process of fall fix-up (remodeling the bathroom), and fall clean up. . . and of course eagerly anticipating the OSU-Michigan game.
I'll be more insightful soon. . . along with a list of the books that helped me through this time.
Friday, March 17, 2006
 | Currently Reading Lords of the Earth By Don Richardson see related |
Windows Vista update
Yesterday I attended a web seminar on Windows Vista. What I learned:- It's a lot of eye-candy.
- It will make it extremely easy to find anything on your computer. It will search like Google.
- All versions (6?) will be on the same DVD with the unlock key determining which version you have.
- Tighter security which makes me happy.
- Will be released for the Christmas holidays (I think).
- Microsoft says a minimum of 512 MB of memory. They said 128 for Windows XP and we all knew 512 was best. Does that mean that we'll actually need 1.5 GB? Only time and experimentation will tell.
- Will it work with existing hardware? I don't know? Will it work with existing software? I don't know. It will all depend on the manufacturer of the hardware and software.
- Can it boot from a SATA drive? Not without additional drivers.
- Will it change between now and its final release? Most assuredly.
More to come later.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
 | Currently Reading Eternity in Their Hearts:Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the World By Don Richardson see related |
Spring is popping up. . . at least the first harbingers. I always thrill to see the iris reticulata start to bloom. I love blue and they are the truest blue of any flower in the garden. I am reading about Joshua's conquests of Palestine? Anyway, it fits right in with the book I just finished because, people of Israel, like me, and probably like people everywhere, just want to sit around and get into a comfortable lifesyle--a settled downness.The book I just finished reading, Eternity in their Hearts, shows how indiginous people groups have a story, a practice, an item, which prepares them precisely to hear about the one true God when He is presented to them. It really is just filling in lost memories, lost knowledge. I know I don't observe closely enough or listen deeply enough to see a personal story, practice, or item in the lives of the people I meet. And the end of the book challenged me, too, as it points out that Jesus' own Apostles, just stayed in their comfort zone, not venturing out until they were forced. I too often just enjoy sitting and reading a book and privately assenting or disagreeing with its premises. That's easy and comfortable. However, a couple of friends have challenged me to do more. To tell them about the book. To tell them my impressions. A this book has challenged me to leave my comfort zone in a couple of ways. . . but that's just the way God is . . .always pushing me upward and onward. . .
More about the book later.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
 | Currently Reading Monster By Frank Peretti see related |
Tired
Ever have one of those weeks? Where Orange barrels are everywhere? Where you are bone-tired by Wednesday, just plodding through the rest of the minutes, hours, days, hoping for a Saturday sleep-in? And part of that is the rushing. . .pushing. . . from one thing to another, one place to another. Always hampered by those pesky orange barrels.When I read a particular "Slice" this week, it helped put things into perspective. Read it here: http://www.rzim.org/publications/slicetran.php?sliceid=1108
I have never had siblings. Neither has my husband. I have to look to my friends to think about what it means to have a brother. I always wanted one. There's usually a family resemblance, shared experiences, shared values, shared histories, but perhaps those of you with siblings could go on better than I can. What does it mean to be Jesus' brother or sister, in my case? A lot to think about.
Friday, March 03, 2006
 | Currently Listening I Hope You Dance By Lee Ann Womack see related |
Death
This has been a hard time. My friend's mother died. Another friend's mother died. Our best cat of all time died. And I have been reading in the Bible about sacrifices in my daily readings. The cat, Elroy, who we called El boy, was the last straw. He had spent every day of his life with us. He was the one cat who was always where we were, who had moods like we did, who had unusual interests like we did. The cat most like a person. I just had to add the picture of him sleeping with his mother, Annie, here.
And I had just finished reading a book about death, well heaven, but death is part of it. The Slumber of Christianity: Awakening a Passion for Heaven on Earth by Ted Dekker. His only non-fiction. My impressions:
Christians live life ineffectively because we've forgotten our goal: Heaven. Reading Paul's letters, he focuses on the hope of heaven: i.e. being with Jesus. The author of The Slumber started thinking about these issues when his brother died and was writing the book when his doctor discovered a lump in his pancreas. The idea is that life is supposed to be hard, disappointing, non-fulfilling, full of "smashed rainbows," because this is not what we were made for and not our hope. As Paul said, I would rather die and be with Christ, but it is better for me now to be with you. We are made to feel deeply unsatisfied by not being with Christ. I have felt that way for a very long time and am pleased to find that it is normal!
I just finished seeing The Chronicles of Narnia movie. I needed to see it after losing Elboy. I had read the books decades ago and knew the plot, but I just needed to see it to regain hope. And that's what happened. God will renew the earth and us and animals and everything that Satan has taken. I can't wait!
Also worshipping Sunday morning. . . I WILL worship. And watching Cold Case on Sunday night. . . the last song, by Lee Ann Womack, I hope you dance: I will dance! (Note, I downloaded the song from MSN music. . . how wonderful to be able to listen to it over and over again!)
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance . .
You get the idea. Choose to live in the presence of death.
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