I didn’t intend to install Windows 7.  I was of the “you’ll pry XP out of my cold, dead hands” mentality (like this guy).  But then I had an issue with Outlook (entirely of my own creation) that was going to be best handled with an OS reinstall.

Since my business is a Windows Partner, I thought, “what the hell”, and installed it.  I can always go back to XP if it sucks.

It was actually this article that convinced me to give it a try.  I guess, maybe, perhaps, that I am a little stuck in my ways.

I’m running Win7 Ultimate on a powerhouse machine (Intel Quad Core, 4 GB RAM) so I get to use all of the bells and whistles.  (Including the intriguing XP Mode, which I haven’t played with yet.)  I chose not to go with the 64 bit edition, mostly to make my life as a developer easier.

The install was fast and easy.  (Though pretty much everything is fast on this PC anyway.)

After installation, I did something I’ve never done before.  I took the tour.  I’m glad I did.  I think the tour was what really convinced me that I did the right thing.  So, it’s with a semi-open mind that I leave 1998 behind and try to embrace the future.

A few features that I like so far:

• The search box on the start menu.  Good stuff.
• The Aero effects are good looking, but don’t slow down the PC or get in the way.
• The new taskbar takes some getting use to, but I’m catching on.  You can drag items around, which is very nice.
• Native support for burning ISOs(!)

The negatives:

• I seem to have much more trouble with my network connection than ever before.  You are allowed to log on (even to a domain) before the network is connected.  So when I see my desktop, I’m not connected yet.   I even had some trouble renewing my IP address after the PC woke up.  I disabled IPV6, and that seems to have helped some.
• Windows Explorer and Control Panel.  This is the most dramatic change.  I think I’m starting to understand how to use it, but for now it’s harder for me to find files/folders efficiently, and harder to navigate around the control panel.

Bottom Line: If you’re on Vista, there is no reason not to upgrade.  If you are on a powerful XP machine, I say go for it.  If you’re on an even slightly underpowered XP machine, you’re probably going to want to stick with XP.

A 37-year-old wife from New Brighton tried to slit her husband’s throat as he slept because he was not the devout Muslim she believed she married, and pressured her to eat pork and drink alcohol, authorities allege.

It’s a good reason to ditch that diet and celebrate with a piece of cake.

A study has found that men really do prefer ‘normal’-sized women with a few curves to those who are fashionably thin.

Suppose for a minute—which is about 59 seconds too long, but that’s for another column—that global warming poses an imminent threat to the survival of our species. Suppose, too, that the best solution involves a helium balloon, several miles of garden hose and a harmless stream of sulfur dioxide being pumped into the upper atmosphere, all at a cost of a single F-22 fighter jet.

Good news, right? Maybe, but not if you’re Al Gore or one of his little helpers.

Adobe is pushing hard to get Flash, PDF, and other technologies used to realize recent open government initiatives. The problem is that the technologies fall short of the goal of full accessibility, and cause problems for those seeking to use government-supplied data in any meaningful way.

“They gassed them,” Pearl says.

“They gave them a towel,” Helen chimes in, “and a soap to make believe they were going for a shower, and then when they were inside—”

“—instead of water,” Pearl interjects.

“—the Zyclon gas came down.” Helen’s hands are in a fist against her belly.

“That’s how my father and my sister and her children died,” Pearl says. “We never saw them anymore.”

****

“That was Mengele who was doing the selections,” Pearl recalls. “He was waving his wand—whatever you call it. To the right, you still have a chance of living. To the left, all the elderly, the sick, the little ones, they all went to the left and those were taken straight with the towels.”

I ask Pearl to describe Mengele, and her eyes light up. “He was the most handsomest—”

“Like Clark Gable,” Helen interjects.

“He was tall and the most handsome guy,” Pearl continues. “He should have been an actor or something and not killed Jews. His boots-—they were so shiny that instead of a mirror, you could have used his boots.”

Manned Air Force jets and drones could soon send high quality video and audio by using ultra-high bandwidth lasers, transmitting critical battlefield data faster than ever. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research has conducted experiments that transmit data without interference across almost 22 miles, both in the air and on the ground.

Last week I received some images that showed Netflix streaming on a Wii console. I didn’t run with the story at the time as I didn’t know if the images were legit and it’s taken me until today to confirm they are in fact real. I’m not disclosing who confirmed it for me but someone involved in the project has confirmed that Nintendo is currently in testing stages with Netflix to bring their streaming service to the Wii very soon.

What I’m hearing is that Nintendo originally planned to bring the Netflix service to the Wii before the end of this year, which still might take place, but that Nintendo is also considering holding off on the Netflix service until they release their next generation Wii HD unit in early 2010.

What’s the cost of not showing up to court? For PepsiCo Inc., it’s a $1.26 billion default judgment. A Wisconsin state court socked the company with the monster award in a case alleging that PepsiCo stole the idea to bottle and sell purified water from two Wisconsin men.