Now doing websites you always need a variety of web browsers checking your work for rendering issues within different browser. And therefore it is not unusual for a web developer to have more than on box to test and code on.

So IE 8 is of course of interest for me, but not necessarily on my main box.

Getting aware about I’ve lost my IE 7 (not a real drama – as for you can choose the rendering engine within IE 8 and set it back to the old behavior) I quickly went for info running it parallel. It is possible and not even difficult to do … But at the end not really necessary!

Already a while ago I picked up info about a company with name Xenocode, and makes their point about bringing application into the web. "Run software instantly from the web, with no installation or hassles." is their slogan. And at least when it comes to Internet Browsers it is already reality.

Install their plugin and the friendly company will allow you to run all major Internet Browsers (and Versions) directly from the web without installation first. Boy, that rocks!

The movie does start somewhat confusing and it really needs a while for you getting an idea about what is going on here. And believe me or not, I really can’t imagine some thoughtfully and caring person not leaving the cinema later on feeling "touched" by the story.

The movie is as fascinating as scaring at the end. And the idea behind about balancing something bad you have done or forced earlier with something good now - however good it might be - is something "rather" strange. Especially as for we all know about it doesn’t work! Nothing in world can make something not having happend first.

It is our fate or luck …. however you like to see it …. that our brain is made to forget about bad things quickly and instead thend to store nice and pleasant memories even more "pleasant" as they might have been really.

As a commited organ donator this story touches me in several ways. First of all seeing what can be done is great and encourages me in my thinking. But on a second look, it is very deep touching as well and I can’t ommit me thinking that such doing (story or not) would turn the whole tingy into an absurdness???

I really can say this movie keeps me busy thinking about! It is a touching movie – not sure I would call it "good" movie though!

Mostly you don’t know all people in advance and the application itself is something totally new. The customers is already upset and grumpy and very often another "expert" has already tried to advise. So preparing for such an workshop always does consume a lot of time. Time you need to get confident about things first. And for sure time to find things not working proper or at least suboptimal to have something back in case no one else … has something to say!

So next week I will head into such a workshop and last few days I did deeply dig a database and did try to find out about the problems this customer is dealing with. Tiring for sure! But also interesting on the other side.

As mentioned you know nothing about the application. You just have the database, their info and indicator and the incoming SQL as for to analyze. Now I haven’t done since a while, but now after investigation I’m once again impressed about what you can find out about …. when you look at things first.

This people do really not know about coding and relational databases. They have quickly ported some "Access" & "Excel" crime soft project into a bigger environment and more users and now feel curious  about why it doesn’t perform as wished.

So from principle it is easy. I already see the way to the end of the tunnel were light does appear again …. Just …. Hm! …. How to tell it the customer without upsetting him immediately?

Personally I’m not much into this kind of amusement. I was never ever really good in driving a car on a TV screen and besides SimCity and a few early DOS based computer games I’ve never did spend much time with "games".

So when I speak about playing with my computers, I’m talking about spending time with them discovering something new. Learning or modify things and therefore making them able to do or serve things they couldn’t do before.

Last few days I did spend time playing with my new toys which I have mentioned earlier before. It was good time and I learned a lot about it and got a deeper idea about the concepts behind. Now it would not have been even necessary, as for I got an unlocked version I couldn’t prevent to read about the "breaking it" instructions and knowing about was the "point of no return" starting to "play" with it.

Today now feeling prepare enough, I finally did it … a full cycle through all … ending up in restoring initial and original state again. Somewhere in between I must have missed something as for not all features did work in "broken" mode as wished.

But this is nothing I do mind – it was no wated time at all – just the intro into another "playing session". And I’m sure it will not last long until I can’t resist anymore, starting again with it.

Sure it is not necessary …. but it is possible!

Talking about god and the world (means everything) I ended up in telling her about my "knights dinner" recently and was very surprised about her telling me that she has processed some new interest in medival markets.

You know such events? They are held here frequently with a lot of folks coming together playing knights, farmer or warrior … lol virgins or witches … in authentic dresses and wearing swords and stuff. Mostly it has some commercial background with handicraft men selling their stuff, but often it is also just for fun.

Now speaking about she told me that she feels really fascinated by that idea and really would like to do some "view" into this era …

Thinking about it, I’m sure I wouldn’t …. as long I can remember I was always interested in the opposite. The future with all it’s gimmicks, technical process, new techniques and science in general and first of all new cool inventions is what I would go for. Give me a working Stargate and I would use it – now, yet and immediately! 

But?! What time would you like to see my friend???

Green IT is more than just another new marketing gag companies now use to sell there actual new and modern hardware!

Even it may appear that way at first …. Energy Awareness is an must requirement and need for me today.

Besides traditional MHz or Mips, now power consumption, issues free standby and sleep functionalities of the used  OS have to become a reasonable arguments to answer the question whether or not to buy a specific hardware model, brand or software.

Years ago I have read some article pointing out about worlds’ overall electrical energy consumption was raise by 10% since the invention of  the Personal Computer System – short PC.

Millions of PCs … and often never powered off for just and pure convenience issues!

Sure it is smart when for a quick email check I only have to power on the LCD. The system is already up and running and it needs me just a few seconds to stay in touch with the whole world …. confessed that at some stages permanent running systems offering infrastructure services is a must requirement ….

But does it need to be more than one system per household? Does it need all the periphery running as well all the time? Does it need to be the most energy hungry system of all … Dad’s Power PC with chrome stripes and stars?

Do you know that in big data center the cooling and environment conditioning does need up to 3 or 4 times the energy all systems do need for their operating?

What about that million old server system out there in central computing center just not powered off because they are ignored and no longer used since ages? Running on money of big companies just turned too ignorant for it, as for shareholder value is the only thing what counts?!

Green IT has to become a general concern of all of us. Starting with those private users, heading over to small businesses and finally addressing CEO’s of big companies …. all “deciders” …  users, system developer, manufacturer and finally the big industrial consumer have to be AWARE today.

But tell me! What is a noticeable software license key? They on I bought with and found  on my old notebook?

Sure it is a nice and helpfully arrangement new systems today are bundled and offered with some valid OS license key keeping costs low and giving me the feeling I’m doing right. But what about the system gets old and I buy a new one and don’t like the new burning software on it and rather would prefer going on to use the older one I’m used to used from my prior hardware?

What about the old hardware is still functional and working and I’m going to sell it on eBay?

Sure the license keys will go with the hardware, but what about the changing owner? Will this new owner then have such a noticeable software license key?

I really do understand Microsoft and other companies. But isn’t the problem also forced by them and there more than archaic licencing modells?

Today in times of fast broadband internet connections you of don’t even get an installation medium. You download the software and request a valid serial key online easy paid by paypal or credit card.

Where the hell there is a problem to found something similar than the internet domain registration services to buy and administer your license keys online? Even perhaps on some time limited base?

Sometimes I don’t need the whole cake for ever. What about buying a Creative Studio or Office license for a quarter of a year with the option to get a cheap and easy renewing?

In my eyes it is about time for those big software companies to think about new and creative licencing modells.

Just my 5ct on that!

Now knowing about the rumours about Apple has a build in backdoor within the new Apple iPhone 3G were recently confirmed by Steve Jobs …. indeed make me thinking about.

But not about the company or the product itself. Instead I’m more thinking about whether or not I do like that.

Do I really want a company being able to de-install  software fromsomething I have bought from them?

They got my money and I got the phone … now it is mine and it is up to me deciding about which software I run on it.
What ever they tell me it is good for they have such an option, I’m seriously and absolutely sure about I don’t NEED it!

Guess it needs some firewall software soon for this gadget.

I guess everyone of us working with computers is familiar with the old dispute between Mac and PC users about who has the better system …. 

Sure I was also jokng from time to time and one time I even lighted a wild discussion about when I very mindless wrote a cheeky comment at an internet list.

Since a while I’m used to work with both and I have to confess that i have likes and dislikes at both sides. It is not that I would really prefer on, but there is also no one I would define or decide as better or superior. At the end both world are the result of there history and special in some way.

But back to the topic. My recent posting about the Mojave Experiment I did send also to this internet list with no idea, but to share it. At the end I was amaze people there starting again to talk about PC versus Mac.

Now knowing myself that OSX since a while is running on non Apple hardware I try to prevent people there again running into a wild discussion but was amazed myself about some responses like:

"I kind of miss the days when you could walk into the Apple Store and there were only the true believers"

Wow! It must be really hard to recognise that your MAC is just another computer at the end.  

ps: You don’t take my todays posting too serious please … 

Me and a MPB? Now this sounds curious indeed and there were for sure a few curious view and question I had to stand. But I really wanted to find out about why others think about them as better, by enjoying something new at the same time.

Not really being sure about I later would like it, deciding for a specific model was a someway hard job for me.

Wanting it portable and being aware that buying too small or modestly never is a good choice, the smaller Macbook wasn’t a choice for me ever. On the other hand this large and heavy 17" chopping board seemed a bit to oversized to me. Thinking about to carry it together with cameras and stuff all time during vacation trip gave me some nightmares for sure.

So I finally focusing on a 15" model and looking into the specs, I decided about it is not worth to buy the bigger one. Everything added it more, except the video card memory, easily could added in later by myself easily.

So happy with me and my choise I finally bought the smaller 15" MBP and right from the first second I liked and enjoyed working with it. Getting familiar with it was easy doing and therewith set and found I recently decided to switch over with my video cutting projects to it as well.

Knowing about memory would become an issue then, I checked the Apple pages for more RAM… and found out about their horrible prices!! …..  Checking specs of RAM chips I quickly was sure about normal SO-DIMM would do. So finally yesterday on my way home I made a d-tour visiting a local hardware shop and buying two normal 2GB 667 SO-DIMMs (less than half the Apple offer).

Shortly half a hour later they were fit in and working.

Now (and for sure it would have to be someone else not me) not being able to resist digging deeper as well, I had a closer look at things. And I have to confess that not only the visible parts of the MBP are well designed. Looking behind and voting it, it is a "puter" … not more and not less, but the quality and manufactoring standard is high and … as a friend of me said once …. it’s a sexy feeling to own and work with one!