Tonight Microsoft asks me in a Firefox browser sidebar..

So what do people think of Windows Vista when they don’t know it’s Windows Vista?

I can tell you what I have shared with numerous people in coffee shops, airports, the office, etc. since early 2007. I simply show them the blue screen or the boot up screen which says “Welcome” for three minutes then an unclickable desktop (unless you want to lock it up) for another 45 seconds. I get a special pleasure at their grimace and they say “Why does it do that?” I smile as I tell them reality “Microsoft designed it to do it just like that and they thought it was a good product.”

They haven’t used it with any of the tablets, printers and scanners they already own which still do not have drivers which means they have to set up a local network with their XP computer to use the $1,490 worth of hardware sitting on their desk which they can already use with another OS which works great. Windows XP Pro.

They haven’t looked at the Windows Vista blue screen informing them of a crashed/locked up computer/memory dump while trying to use MS’s own image manipulating software included in OS/Office. Several times per week hard re-boot. I share with the newbies as I show them the blue screen “Windows Vista crashed again”

They have not yet sat twiddling their thumbs for minutes every time they boot up or shut down Windows Vista. Multiply these wasted moments times the average number of on/off cycles moving around a jobsite/classroom/library/airport/office and MS owes them an hour per month, easily. Learn to meditate on patience and the MacBook you priced last week but realize the $1,979 configured MacBook can wait until you finish the remodel on your duplex or another deal you’re working on.

I bought Windows Vista the week it was released and have regretted it daily when I boot up (I have 2 gig on the board). I literally have time to take care of many tasks while waiting and I do them – vacuum a room, brush my teeth for two minutes, for instance. I’m not kidding. I still use XP on two machines and will continue to do so after I get the MacBook.

Do not buy Windows Vista. You will be disappointed. Stick with XP Pro or buy a Mac (tell ‘em Mars sent you).

Vista sucks.

I will not fall for the MS bullshzt again. BTW, I have many opportunities to purchase a Microsoft product since February, 2007 when looking at accessories and other software. Not a dime – fool me once, Microsoft…

Mars out.

Remotely cool, calm and connected…

I did my laundry in Baton Rouge near LSU last night and there was a guy there who had his own remote for TVs in his pocket. As he moved from the couch to the folding table and back and forth past the suds and stainless steel he switched channels on 4 different TVs soaking up the Olympics. I almost laughed out loud. There are TVs everywhere now so I’m probably not witnessing one crackpot. I’ll bet 1:25 guys wandering around any given campus in America has a remote in his pocket or gig bag.

Mars out.

Solving a problem that doesn’t exist…

I’m looking for products with utility and a friend suggested the Dyson vacuum. While using a vacuum do you recall seeing lines of un-vacuumed carpet due to the design of the rigid wheel carriage of a vacuum cleaner? The wheels do not turn. They never have. It does not stop me from cleaning my home.

Dyson’s use of a ball for steering might be valid if older designs of vacuum cleaners did not clean because of the fixed wheel design, ran on tracks or weighed 7,290 pounds. Mr. Dyson has a love for putting balls on things. If you apply this simple design concept (a ball) you can do what he has done – put a ball on anything with a wheel that is a consumer product. A decent hepa vac with a beater bar and a 2-3 gallon shop vac can be bought for less than half the price of the least expensive Dyson.

It’s your money – go ahead.

Mars out.

Near the end…

the "before" pic - Sept 22, 2007

Pics are bldg 3 which is substantially complete and students began moving in yesterday. However, I will probably be in the bayou another month or so completing work in all three buildings which in the trade is called “punch work”. I’m happy to be at this point and am just 2 weeks away from camping out here for one year. The folks here are very nice but the geography and chemical/petroleum industry both made this a little unpleasant. “A nice places to visit…”

There are other situations nearing the end and this means Mars will be? Stay tuned.

Mars out.