Norah Jones: Not Too Late Yes, it's not too late to pass on this album. It's awful. Was her previous stuff this bad? I know it got played to death, but I seem to recall liking two of her songs. This new effort is just plain awful. Uninteresting, uninspired, boring and annoying. (Some critics certainly think otherwise.)

Vista 'Clean Install' Loophole Workaround Discovered For "Clean Install" With Vista Upgrade DVDs: "Just when everyone thought that all hope was lost when it comes to performing a clean install with a Windows Vista Upgrade DVD, a gleam of light can now be seen at the end of the tunnel. A new workaround proposed by Paul Thurrott (via Microsoft internal documents) has been confirmed to work by DailyTech."

My reaction? Honestly, the directions below are not much easier (faster) than installing your previous OS before installing Vista. It does allow me to proceed with only a Vista upgrade disc in hand, however.

The instructions are as follows:

1. Boot with the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD.

2. Click "Install Now."

3. Do not enter a Product Key When prompted.

4. When prompted, select the Vista product edition that you do have.

6. Install Vista normally.

7. Once the install is complete, begin another Vista install within Windows by inserting your Vista DVD. When asked whether to perform either an Upgrade or Custom (advanced) install, choose Custom (advanced) to perform a clean install of Vista. (Yes, this means that you will have to install Vista for a second time.)

8. Enter your Product Key when prompted.

9. Once setup has completed for the second time, you should be able to activate Windows Vista normally. You can also delete the Windows.old directory which contains information from the first Vista install.

24: Season 6, Episode 6 One word: boring. Heroes, however, was great.

VMware Converter 3.0 VMware Converter 3.0 - Convert your physical machines to virtual machines - for free. I have wanted this product for years! Giddy-Up!

Vista Upgrade Advisor If you're thinking of upgrading to Vista, be sure to run the Vista Upgrade Advisor. It will tell you whether or not your hardware is in the ballpark of compatibility. In general, you really need a machine with 2 GB of RAM, at least a 2 GHz procesor and a powerful, non-integrated video card.

Vista Closes Upgrade Loophole I have no objections to company protecting its software and making it difficult for pirates to steal their software. However, this move by Microsoft makes it laborious for legal owners of previous versions of Windows to perform a 'clean install' using Upgrade media. Boo. Hiss. More and more. (I have not personally tested this new feature. I would welcome some input by an actual user.)

Faces of Meth Faces of Meth - Fast results!

Five Things I've been tagged by Jim to list "Five Things" that people probably don't know about me. Therefore, here are my five things, and I'll also take this opportunity to tag Stephen, Derek, Geek, Blonde and Payer.

 1. I've wanted an afro several different times.

 2. I once worked in a Brooklyn hand bindery, rebinding old books.

 3. As a child, I had a Welsh pony that was as mean as the devil. Still, I regularly rode him, with no saddle, just a bridle.

 4. I briefly spoke to Jerry Orbach, one of my favorite TV actors of all time. He was walking down the street, from the set of a L&O shoot, back to his make-up trailer. I was so starstruck, my words were almost incoherent. He was very polite.

 5. I took first prize in my 6th grade Science Fair for Physics. What's so special about that? I used the same exhibit/equipment dad used in the late 50's. All I did was dust it off, and haul it to school. (The device was a high-voltage transformer, owned by my Uncle, used to make a 'lightning machine' that was both mesmorizing and quite dangerous.)

'24' Ringtones Get your '24' ringtones here. You know you want it.

Snap Preview Anywhere Sucks If you're using Snap Preview Anywhere on your site, please stop it. It is annoying. I can think of a few specific instances where this might be a useful tool. However, using on every single hyperlink is overkill.

Is '24' Shark-proof? Is '24' Shark-proof? No, it has jumped the shark many times, in my book. It's still highly entertaining. Go here to see the exact moment that it may have jumped the shark. I cannot point to a particular moment or scene, but the fact that Jack has died two or three times and chases bad guys immediately after heart attacks and never sleeps, well, that just about proves a little sharky-shark.

HDTV: Is it "All That"? Kevin Cowherd: Clearly, You Must See the Humor in High-Def Television. This is a funny article, but I'm not certain what the author's intentions are. Personally, I think HDTV looks exponentially better than regular TV. (I'll own one as soon as the price of HDTVs, HD-DVDs and the HD-DVD players drop significantly - which isn't very far away.)

Vista Ultimate OEM NewEgg.com is offering the OEM version of Windows Vista Ultimate for $199, with free shipping. (Home Premium is $119.) You could buy it now, or you could wait until SP1 is released.

Oscar Nominations, My Predictions The Oscar Nominees have been announced. So, let's talk about them. First, let's acknowledge a few things. There will not be a single film that will 'sweep' the Oscars. Best Picture/Best Director will be split, just as last year. Best Actor/Actress awards will be for different films, as well. Overall, 2006 was a weak year in cinema, just like 2005. My predictions are in bold.

Best Picture: We have a minor upset in this category. Little Miss Sunshine, an indie comedy/drama received a nod and Dreamgirls didn't. It should also be noted that United 93 was not nominated. The winner will be either Babel or Letters from Iwo Jima. Longshot: The Departed. Thankfully, the two most over-hyped movies of the past several years, Borat and Dreamgirls, are not among the nominees.

Best Director: Martin Scorsese will win, after more than 30 years of making critically acclaimed films.

Best Actor: First, it should be noted that Sacha Baron Cohen was not nominated. Forest Whitaker is the likely winner, but I think DiCaprio actually has a shot, unlike at the Golden Globes. The big surprise in this category is that DiCaprio was not nominated for his performance in The Departed.

Best Actress: Helen Mirren will win. Next.

Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy got the Golden Globe, but the Oscar may go to Mark Wahlberg. Since Dreamgirls was not nominated for Picture, Eddie is not a sure thing.

Best Supporting Actress: An upset is possible, but more than likely Jennifer Hudson, of American Idol fame will win this one. The upset winner would be Abigail Breslin, the little girl in Little Miss Sunshine.

The only other minor categories that really interest me are Film Editing, Cinematography and Original Screenplay. Each of these races looks quite competitive, so I won't even guess who'll win.

LogMeIn.com LogMeIn.com - A free remote control tool. I've used it for over a week and it works great. There are also pay versions for business users and for persons that need more features than the free version provides.

Monday TV A new episode of '24' and a new episode of 'Heroes' will air tonight at the same time. That's right, it's The List vs. The Nukes. Speaking of '24', there will be another two-hour event for Monday, February 12th, during sweeps.

Vista I'm less than excited about the upcoming release of Windows Vista. There are several factors that have affected my opinion of Vista, not the least of which is this: my current hardware won't run it. Further, the latest issue of Maximum PC has a scathing review, highlighting Vista's limitations with current PC games. The final 'nail in the coffin' is the retail price, which is so high it should be a bad joke. As an IT professional, however, learning the in's and out's of Vista will be required, so I'll have to jump in, sooner, rather than later.

Apples to Oranges Equating death by automobile accidents to death from terrorism is moronic. It's comparing apples to oranges. If you cannot discern the difference, you've got a problem. An accident is one thing, an evil force plotting to destroy innocents, that's quite another thing.

Hillary Hillary Clinton is now officially running for President of the United States. If she were to win, it would create a Presidential history that goes as follows: Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton.

All Your Base Are Belong to Google? Cringely: "Google controls more network fiber than any other organization. This is not to say that Google OWNS all that fiber, just that they control it through agreements with network operators."

Global Warming: NOT! Here's one for the global warming crazies: Snow Falls in West LA, Malibu.

DirecTV Sat-Go Coming Soon: DirecTV Sat-Go - "The world's first fully-integrated, portable satellite and TV system. Scheduled to launch in spring 2007, DirecTV Sat-Go will come in an easy-to-carry, briefcase-like design that includes a 17-inch LCD monitor with integrated DirecTV Receiver, flat antenna and replaceable/rechargeable laptop-style battery."

Nukes, Baby When the suitcase nuke went off on '24' last night, it was a real "Oh, Crap" moment. The other stunner, of course, was Curtis' demise via Jack. Being around Jack Bauer is a real work hazard, no matter which team you're on.

IE 7: Resistance is Futile Microsoft has announced that Internet Explorer 7 has been installed 100 million times, making it the number two browser, behind IE 6. I like Firefox just as much as the next guy, but these numbers once again prove what a Juggernaut Microsoft really is.

What is a music collection? Please go here and read what Rafe and Anil have to say about "music collections". They place great value on their playlists, listening histories and ratings. I've never really given it much thought, but I don't maintain ratings or histories. Access is more important than ownership, to me, so I guess I'm 'out of the loop' on this issue.

BitTorrent vs. Usenet Slyck.com: BitTorrent vs. Usenet - This article analyzes both systems, and then hands the decisive victory to Usenet. It does, however, point out some of the more obvious advantages of BitTorrent, namely - simplicity and price.

"Throughout the modern history of P2P, many networks have come and gone. Some networks achieve stunning success, like Napster, FastTrack, WinMX, AudioGalaxy, eDonkey2000, and BitTorrent. There's an old saying that no empire lasts forever, and neither does the holder of the P2P crown. As Usenet continues to evolve and its clear advantages delineate themselves to the mainstream public, it's very possible that in the near future, file-sharing may end up where it all began...with Usenet."

Cellswapper Cellswapper - Want to get out of your cell phone contract early?

Tax for Stupid People Flickr: Note Left on Car.

24 The first four episodes of the new (6th) season of '24' were leaked to the web last week. I have seen them and they are good. These episodes will air on Fox, this Sunday and Monday (two episodes each night). Spoilers? Let's just say the new season starts with a bang.

Sales Down at Gap Gap is in financial trouble after sliding sales. Big surprise.

Years ago, I could regularly find jeans and shirts at Gap that I liked. Not any more.

Please allow me to speak directly to the people at Gap who make the style decisions for men's clothing: When I walk out of your store I want to look masculine. Period. I haven't been able to find clothes in your store that fit that bill in years, except on rare occasion.

ID, Please If you're headed to the airport, you better carry that ID, no matter what you read on the Internet.

Apple, Inc. You gotta hand it to Steve Jobs and Apple: They know how to generate buzz! A quick read through the description of the iPhone does indeed seem to make it one of the most sophisticated mobile devices so far. With the release of the iPhone, Apple shares jumped up five percent.

The Long Drop HowStuffWorks.com: How Does Death by Hanging Work? - The doomed soul's weight is used to calculate the distance of the drop when the "Long Drop" method is used. In the United States, judicial hanging is legal in both Washington state and Delaware, and three prisoners have been hanged since the death penalty was reinstituted in 1976. UPDATE: The link has been corrected. Thanks, Derek.

You Mailed What? Postal Experiments - Funny stuff. These people decided to send various strange/large/weird/disgusting items through the U.S. Postal Service, and then they chronicled the results.

Couldn't Agree More Colorado Governor: PETA is "a bunch of losers" and "frauds".

1 Terabyte Hard Drive Hatachi will release a 1 terabyte hard drive this year. It will cost less than two 500 GB drives, at $399.

Wesley Autrey, Hero Hero, Wesley Autrey, is being treated as such. He jumped onto a NYC subway track to save a young man that had accidentally fallen. "The MTA is giving Autrey a year of free rides and gave his daughter some MTA schwag. Disney is giving the Autrey family a week-long, all-expenses paid trip to Disney World, plus tickets to see the Lion King and a backstage tour."

Daylife Daylife - Upon first glance, this looks like a very promising new site.

Iran Robert Tracinski: To Win in Baghdad, Strike at Tehran. Are the war drums beating again?

Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick For $130 you can plug this tiny piece of hardware into your laptop and watch broadcast HDTV signals. If you travel in urban areas, this might be a neat thing. You can read a review of the hardware here.

Best Films of 2006 MetaCritic has compiled the critics' Top 10 lists.

Cheap Airfare AU Blog: "In my experience there is no ONE website that you can use to get the lowest airfare every single time. It fluctuates quite a bit because there are a LOT of variables involved. Don't ask me why - it's just how it is."

Technology I'm sitting out the HD wave until the larger units fall in price. How low? I'll buy into the technology when a quality 37" or 42" screen retails for less than $450.

That being said, I'm pressing forward with old technology. Yes, I've ordered a DVR from DirecTV. I considered building a homemade PVR (running Linux, using one of the open source software packages), but all of the popular PVR software is geared towards cable and broadcast TV, not satellite TV. (If you're interested in building a PVR that is compatible with DirecTV, the most attractive route is Beyond TV 4, which retails for $150. Sorry, but this is not enough sugar for a dime, as they say.) DirecTV will "loan" me a unit for "free". The monthly charge for the DVR service is six bucks.

Total Access Blockbuster Online's new 'Total Access' program is working. They now have 2.2 million customers. Total Access has been a great mprovement, making Blockbuster's offer much better than Netflix, in my opinion. For $10 per month, you get unlimted (one at a time) movie rentals via mail, PLUS, you can return the movies to your local store in exchange for another free rental from the store. Taking the movie to the store triggers your next movie to be shipped in the mail. There are, of course, more expensive packages.

New Orleans Repeats Mistakes WashPo: New Orleans Repeats Mistakes as It Rebuilds - "After Katrina, teams of planners recommended that broad swaths of vulnerable neighborhoods be abandoned. Yet all areas of the city have at least some residents beginning to rebuild. With billions of dollars in federal relief for homeowners trickling in, more people are expected to follow. Moreover, while new federal guidelines call for raising houses to reduce the damage of future floods, most returning homeowners do not have to comply or are finding ways around the costly requirement, according to city officials. "It's terrifying: We're doing the same things we have in the past but expecting different results," said Robert G. Bea, a professor of civil engineering at the University of California at Berkeley and a former New Orleans resident who served as a member of the National Science Foundation panel that studied the city's levees."

Indiana Jones 4 To quote Han Solo, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Almost everything Harrison Ford and George Lucas have touched in the past 10 years has turned into crap. Spielberg is a master director (Jaws, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan), but he has directed several turkeys in recent years (A.I., The Lost World and War of the Worlds).

Be afraid, be very afraid. The original Indiana Jones movie is a true classic, and the third one was very good also. Maybe they should leave the series alone.

Pinot Noir I tasted a Pinot Noir for the very first time, recently. I'll be buying more.

Beer 101 How Beer Works - If you drink beer, please read this.

Saddam The majority of print and television media continue to obsess over Saddam Hussein's death. In my mind, this raises one question: What acts of atrocity would a criminal have to commit to elicit a simple "Good Riddance" from the media?

Bigger Bell FCC Approves AT&T / BellSouth Merger - It's 1970 all over again! What a crock. My BellSouth DSL service will probably never be the same, once AT&T decides to 'improve' it. It's time to think about Comcast cable Internet.

Boiling Water in Zero Gravity Boiling Water in Zero Gravity. Video of it, here.