When you're smiling...

the whole world smiles with you.

Save your backs, fellow bass players

Now here is an excellent invention. What I like about it is that it folds down flat when not in use. Space for me is always a premium, whether it be at home or when going to a gig.

And did I mention that I dislike carrying all my gear around?

Custom Line6 Variax 705 Bass guitar

Craftmanship in action. Watch it unfold here.

Samsung Q1 Ultra demonstration feedback

So I saw it today, and I was suitably impressed. The split QWERTY keypad on the side was not as good as I expected, with me frequently having to correct double-typed characters.

But I didn't care. Who needs that when you have the thumb-typing on the screen (which I found to be very responsive, unlike other models I played with today which needed a positive, slow touch to ensure accurate typing), and of course the hand-writing recognition of Windows Vista.

That was just awesome. It recognised my boss' scribbles, but struggled with mine out of the box. I swapped the stylus for my trusty Pilot G-2 07, and since I was holding a proper pen, my handwriting improved to almost legible. But Vista managed to get 100% recognition.

Of course it can only get better, as Vista's hand writing recognition software learns the way you write, and even learns how you write certain letters in different contexts.

But this is not a report on Vista's capability.

The only other product that came close was the OQO model 02 , very nice typing experience, fast processor, but only a five inch screen.

The Samsung's seven inch screen won me over, and I am already waiting impatiently for mine to be delivered, our company image of Windows XP Tablet Edition to be put on, and me starting to use it.

My original thought was to use it as a companion to my Dell Latitude D610, but now I am thinking I might try it as my main system for a while. Only when I program and run models do I really need something more powerful.

Samsung Q1 Ultra second generation

Isn't she lovely?

I hope to see her later the week. I love the keyboard layout, as it mimicks that of my Nokia E70. And if it will satisfy my needs, it will be so much lighter to lug around than my 3kg laptop...

Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52+ evaluation flight

Want to be a fighter pilot? See if you are still not tired after this five minute workout.

Candidate for man of the year

I was cleaning out my mail, and found this cracker. Man, is he not getting it!

Excel 2003 and me - a lasting relationship, it seems

I was fortunate enough to be allowed to install Office Ultimate 2007 on my work laptop. Fortunate because Microsoft did a really good job with the applications.

My comments on each one I spent time with:

Outlook: Small things make it so much better, like having your calendar as a sidebar on the Mail and Preview page.

Word: Word remains Word, but I like the Ribbon.

Excel: I have known for a long time that "Compatibility Mode" ensures my custom menus created for earlier Excel versions will remain. The Ribbon is intuitive, and the cell grid is no longer a default gray colour, but a nice light blue. Impossible to replicate in Excel 2003, by the way. I tried… It makes the whole experience so much more eye-friendly.

Did not spend any time in VBA, so I do not know what new functions exist yet.

PowerPoint: One word: Wow! Want to change the style of your slide pack? Just hover your mouse over an option, and a live preview shows you what it will look like.

Access: Did not spend a lot of time in Access, but again the User Interface is much better than previous versions, and it refreshed my love of databases.

All in all, well worth the investment, and I do not want to go back to Office 2003. However, we do not always get what we want. Upon reconnecting to the network at work a few days ago, after a suspected IT policy change, my installation was never the same again, to the point where I had to re-image my machine (wipe it all, and start afresh with a clean operating system). So now I am back to the old and trusty Office 2003. I am so tempted to install Office 2007 again, but I promised the Desktop Support people I would not do this again. Perhaps if I back up the registry, set a system restore point?...

Music on Myspace

I created a profile in the Music section of Myspace today. Not much there for now, but it will grow. Go check it out.

Challenge the impossible

Surface computing

Check it out. Way cool.



Courtesy of Sebby's Blog.