A Microsoft official admitted that Windows 7 is inspired by Apple’s operating system (Microsoft official admits Windows 7 design inspired by Mac OS X).
In other news, the Droid is inspired by the iPhone, cigarettes lead to cancer, consuming alcohol will get you drunk, and the Pope poops (when he’s having a good day).
Reading that post gave me the urge to state the obscenely obvious.
- verb
to be owned, to have your rear kicked, to be destroyed in a spectacularly manner.
Origin
The is word common among gamers, geeks, and nerds.
Related Forms
Pwned, Pwn3d, and Pwnage
Usage
“Did you see that? I just pwned your ass!”
After crazy Uncle Rupert (Murdoch) claimed that he was contemplating hiding all of his news sites from Google and other news aggregation services (Rupert Murdoch Threatens Seppuku), the Internet was all a-buzz. While everyone was writing about how epicly stupid the idea was, Mike Masnick of Techdirt did some research.
Masnick realized that many of Murdoch’s own sites “parasited” content in exactly the same manner that he endlessly complains about with Google and Microsoft. Prestige sites like The Wall Street Journal and Fox News “steal” stories from blogs, other sources, and even Techdirt itself. Many of Murdoch’s most successful web properties “steal” stories, or have searches powered by Google that allow users to search the broader Internet within a News Corp branded user experience (Techdirt – the original post is worth reading).
Boom head-shot!
Mr. Murdoch, you’ve just been pwned.
Windows 7 is available and has been well-received (especially compared to Vista). If you are running Vista, you should upgrade.
The tricky part for consumers is that in typical Microsoft fashion, they have released a number of different versions. Which version is right for you?
Fortunately CNET has released a chart of functionality that compares the four different versions.
Check out the full chart; it’s extensive yet digestible.
Only you can determine what version will meet your needs, but my basic suggestion is that “Starter” is just too lean, and “Home Premium” should suffice for most day-to-day users with an average PC. If you are running a beefier powerful computer (two physical CPUs), you need “Professional” or “Ultimate.” If you are a power-user… figure it out for yourself.
If you are reading this site on a computer running Windows XP, Vista, or something unspeakably older, you are probably trying to decide what computer and/or operating system you are going to buy over the coming months.
With the launch of Windows 7 on 10/22, and the already available Snow Leopard, there are actually two competitive operating systems to choose from.
Windows is a solid choice
Let’s get this taken care of immediately. If you are a dyed in the wool Microsoft or Mac person, just stop reading. Your mind was made up a long time ago.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on.
CNET did a review of the two platforms benchmarks which you can read in great detail.
Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version:
Snow Leopard performed a better in the study than Windows 7. It also has better battery life.
However, Windows 7 had better benchmarks for gaming… which is good since damn near any serious PC gamer is running a souped up monster PC anyway.
Personally, I will stick with Apple for now, and run Windows 7 on Parallels, not because I need it, but because I can.
That’s about it.
In a week or so we will be posting a Windows 7 PCs buyer’s guide that will list a variety of PC’s in all price ranges that are worth purchasing.
~ syndicated by TheGeekWhisperer.com
If you are running Windows, you need to have virus protection. It’s just that simple.
I typically recommend McAfee because it hasn’t caused as many headaches for me over the years as some other virus protection has (I really don’t like Norton).
However, virus protection like McAfee can be pretty pricey, sometimes you just need a free alternative. If that’s the case, give AVG a try. It’s a download, and it’s free (so you don’t have an excuse to go online without some form of virus protection… you don’t even have to wear clothes to get AVG). The latest version (which was just released) installed fine for me, and seems user-friendly enough for a virus scan.
In my experience with older versions of AVG, it doesn’t catch as much as McAfee, so this shouldn’t be your first choice, but it is a solid temporary solution if you can’t afford pricey virus protection.
Practice safe computing on a budget by downloading AVG.
Who called it?
Microsoft, Armani, and Samsung revealed the brand new and seriously overpriced Armani Phone (it hasn’t been given a price tag yet, but I’m sure it will cost far more than it should).
I can say with absolute certainty that I will not be purchasing this device, but you’re more than welcome to… help spend our way out of a recession.
Microsoft is providing free security software called Microsoft Security Essentials for all Windows XP, Vista, & 7 users. It protects against many viruses, malware, and spyware.
If you are a Windows user, I strongly recommend using this in addition to your regular virus protection (not in place of it).
You can download the software here.
Practice safe computing with good virus protection.
Goooooo stock photography!
10,000 email accounts on Microsoft services (@hotmail.com, @msn.com and @live.com) were compromised when someone posted the usernames & passwords to a forum. Most of the details don’t matter much, however you can find them on Neowin.
What does matter is if you have an @hotmail.com, @msn.com or @live.com email account, you should change your password immediately. On the outside chance that you are one of the 10,000 people who have compromised accounts, you should take precautions to make sure nothing bad happens with, or to your email.
While you’re at it, you might as well move on over to Gmail. You can learn a ton of fun tricks that Gmail offers at Gmail Ninja Training. Gmail also has “Mail Goggles” (which I wrote about a year ago in my third post… incidentally, it is one of my favorite posts).
Regardless of your email provider, always practice safe computing by protecting your passwords.
The rumors are true. The Sony PS3 will receive a $100 price drop beginning on September 1st. The new incarnation of the PS3 will also be considerably slimmer.
It happens
The infamous “Red Ring of Death” happens… a lot.
I’ve been hit with it twice. I’m fairly certain my brother had to deal with it at least twice. The reports were that somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of Xbox 360 owners had to ship their console back to Microsoft, after it perished in a not so spectacular red glow.
A new reader survey by dying gaming magazine, Game Informer claims that 54.2 percent of Xbox 360s have failed. That’s a pretty staggering difference.
However, it doesn’t seem to matter because…
I’ve read a lot of posts that attribute this to brand loyalty (I had links before this nasty storm killed my power).
When my 360s failed, dealing with Microsoft was slow and painful. So, why I am one of the 96.2 percent of 360 owners who would buy another 360.
It's the games stupid!
Most of the Xbox 360 owners I know really like video games. They didn’t buy their console to exercise, and they didn’t get it to watch Blu -ray.
They bought it to game.
With the exception of a few titles, the Xbox 360 has the best game library available. It might not be as family friendly or gimmicky like the Wii, and it certainly isn’t as slick as the PS3, but my noisy, ugly, prone to failure 360 “has it where it counts kid…” just like the Millenium Falcon.
It has good games.
What better reason could you think of to buy a gaming console? No my friends, it’s not brand loyalty, it’s a brand that is currently meeting the needs of it’s user-base. That’s how Microsoft continues to dodge bullets with Red Ring of Death. It sure as hell isn’t great service or PR.
When God of War III comes out, the PS3 should call me. Until then, it doesn’t have the games to make me want to play it.
Three years ago I would have gotten a good laugh out of that headline, but it’s true (This in depth and interesting article details the market shift).
Apple has completely conquered the high-end computer market, while PC makers have been producing weak machines with lower profit margins.
PC manufacturers fell victim to one of the classic blunder, (“The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia” The Princess Bride) got themselves caught up in an unwinnable battle over price.
Back in March, Microsoft began running the “Laptop Hunters” ad campaign. I had a particularly negative response to the whole thing.
Here’s part of what I argued:
The second problem with this section of the ad is the price-point. Microsoft doesn’t sell PCs but their partners do. The profit margin on a $700 laptop isn’t usually amazing. They set Lauren’s budget at $1000, why not have her spend $950? or $990? The ad lowers the expectation for what consumers will expect to pay. If Lauren could get a “great” computer for $699.99 then that’s what a PC should cost.
This ad also degrades the value of a PC. Apple is now officially the gold-standard… Microsoft said so in its own ad. Microsoft has made Apple the BMW of computer makers (if they weren’t considered that already, there is no debate now). PCs are the computer you buy when times are rough… like now. But in the future, the economy won’t be in the dumps (hopefully sooner than later). Then people will have money again. When they replace the cheap POS of a PC they bought during the recession, they are going to want to replace it with something better. Something top of the line… and now we all know that PCs are the cheap computer.
I guess I learned something in those brand management and consumer behavior courses I took in grad school.
Couple Apple’s market share victory with Microsoft’s first annual sales decline, and you can imagine that a lot of folks in Redmond are having a pretty crappy week.
High-end computers are where the money is, and Microsoft (and PC makers) can’t possible afford to concede that turf to Apple… That’s like agreeing to split an apple with a friend and agreeing to eat the core; there isn’t much to eat, and the seeds contains trace amount of cyanide. They need to win back consumer confidence (good luck with that), and they need to do it fast (seriously, now is the time to throw money at the problem). If Microsoft doesn’t change their product’s image problem before the economy recovers, there will be a mass exodus from cheap PCs to the high-end Apples.
It’s become abundantly clear that if the average consumer is going spend a lot of money to buy a good computer, they prefer to purchase it from the fruit company.
Large bureaucracies seem to have difficulty with the web browser. Bureaucracies frequently pick poor web browsers (I’m looking at you Internet Explorer), keep the bad browser well past its expiration date, and then don’t allow their employees to download better, modern browser such as Firefox, Chrome, and Opera.
I’ve put some thought into why this is the case, and here is what I’ve come up with (please add to the list if you can think of any I left out):
While I’m not a fan of Internet Explorer 7 or 8, I can kind of accept their use. What is inexcusable is the roughly 15% of web browsing being done with Internet Explorer 6; an eight year-old browser. IE6 usage is propelled largely by corporations that cling to it for a whole lot of poor reasons.
The reasons to upgrade from IE6 are that it is insecure, slow, and it doesn’t conform to current web browser standards. That last issue makes life a living hell on web developers for no good reason who have to specifically code and test for IE6 compatibility.
The good news is that IE6 usage is down roughly 10% from last year, and significant web sites are finally saying “no” to IE6 compatibility. Today, YouTube seems to have stopped supporting the decrepit browser. Music to my ears.
In other browser news, a US State Department employee named Jim Finkle became my hero when his question prompted this exchange with Secretary of State Clinton during a town hall meeting:
MS. GREENBERG: Okay. Our next question comes from Jim Finkle:
Can you please let the staff use an alternative web browser called Firefox? I just – (applause) – I just moved to the State Department from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and was surprised that State doesn’t use this browser. It was approved for the entire intelligence community, so I don’t understand why State can’t use it. It’s a much safer program. Thank you. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, apparently, there’s a lot of support for this suggestion. (Laughter.) I don’t know the answer. Pat, do you know the answer? (Laughter.)
UNDER SECRETARY KENNEDY: The answer is at the moment, it’s an expense question. We can -
QUESTION: It’s free. (Laughter.) (BoingBoing)
It’s the little things in life… and that one put a big smile on this geek’s face.
The Internet is critical for so much of our daily work. As a consequence, the window through which we view the online world is important. Don’t settle for a second or third rate browser.
Practice safe computing with a modern browser.
Microsoft released a commercial for the upcoming Office 2010 that is, well… high budget.
Here’s what Microsoft got right – They didn’t say a word about their own capabilities, they didn’t attack the capabilities of other more stable and secure platforms, and they didn’t have a woman vomiting at the sight of her significant other’s web history.
Mostly I am just happy that no one threw up in this one.
At this point, there is no reason to continue railing on Microsoft for it’s ads or buggy software. Quite frankly, I do not believe that they can do anything correctly, with the exception making good mice and keyboards.
This is the latest and then quickly killed Microsoft ad for Internet Explorer 8.
(It is repulsive… you might not want to watch it)
Look… everyone knows what “private mode” is for. Additionally, it isn’t a unique selling feature because every other current browser offers the exact same thing (Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox, & Google Chrome), so why bother making an issue of it?
Microsoft has so much money that if it had a good product that was worth selling, someone would be able to make an ok advertisement for it… but they don’t… except for their mice and keyboards (which they don’t advertise).
And then there is this browser comparison chart that Microsoft pushed out of its rear:
If it isn’t obvious, this is a big lie.
Practice safe computing by using Firefox, Safari, or Chrome.
Engadget has published a Best Buy memo regarding the impending release of Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows 7.
As far as memos go, this one is pretty funny.
Bottom-line: If you plan on buying a PC at Best Buy, wait until this deal kicks in.
Oh, and the Geek Squad is way overhyped in this memo. They are not so great as a collective organization.
There are a ton of new developments in the video game world emanating from the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo).
While there are far too many things to cover, here are some of the highlights that have me pretty excited:
Metal Gear is a nutty franchise that is so damn fun. I’ve been holding out on buying a PS3 for a while, but when I do eventually buy one, it will be in large part because Metal Gear 4 is exclusive to the system.
Metal Gear is coming back, and it is already looking crazier than ever!
Microsoft is attempting to out-Wii Nintendo. Project Natal is a motion based control system for the Xbox 360, but unlike the Wii, it has no controller.
It’s a set top box equipped with an RGB camera, depth sensor and multi-array microphone, and coupled with proprietary software, it aims to allow users to play games and navigate the Xbox 360’s menu using no controller at all.
(Take a moment to collect all of the little pieces of your blown mind before your continue reading)
If it works and video game designers actually implement the technology in fun and unique ways, this will be incredible. If it fails, it will be another big gaming hardware blunder to add to the list – I’m looking at you Powerglove.
How could something look so fun, yet suck so bad?
Alpha geek Felicia Day, announced that Xbox 360 would open up a Twitter and Facebook interface beginning this Fall.I’m extremely curious to see how this plays out.
You can expect more posts on Metal Gear, Project Natal, Ms. Day, and Twitter/Facebook’s migration to gaming over the coming months.
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