Today I installed FireFox 4.0 (beta), meaning the released for testing by people outside of the development place in order to get feedback.

I’m glad I can still get into my FireFox 3.6.X install, too.

Not because FF 4 is bad, but I have bvecome accustomed to using many add on functions, called “plug ins” in FireFox and with the move up to 4.0(b), most all of the plugins I had installed didn’t work. Several of those I very much rely on, so 4.0(b) is a non-starter for me. It does have a nicer look, and I’m sure some improvements “under the hood,” but I need a few of the plugins to be updated for operating in 4.0 before I completely migrate to the newer version.

If you want to join me out “on the edge,” you can download FireFox 4.0(b), you can get it at this link. Enjoy!

The “bad guys” are hard at work. About 6 months ago, people called me with “scareware” viruses and I could eradicate them in under an hour. Since then, a new wave has appeared, and they not only have a propensity to fake where they are installed, they also now find the more common anti-spyware database files on your systems and remove the identification data, so you can scan your system and they are not recognized. Net result: The “infection” hangs on longer and takes more effort to find and eradicate them. Are you practicing “safe computing?” If you don’t have anti-virus and anti-spyware and a firewall besides the one that comes with Windows, shame on you! By having those installed, you have a much better chance of not having to call me in to get you back to work, and writing me a check.

Smartphones. Geez….the iPhone 4 is very, very cool. That, along with the many others hitting the market, both in the Android and Windows based ones, cell phone band width will become an issue. We consumers will be amazed that “unlimited” plans really aren’t. In defense of the carriers, it takes money and technical expertise and time to keep the “backbones” upgraded for us to use. Think of it as road construction, and it’s going to be a massive rush hour. Just as we see our digitally connected worlds expanding exponentially, there will be the just one more customer that sends your connection speed down the tubes. It’s a problem of aggregation, not that one users.

Next issue: Apple really upped the ante with the “retina” display technology. Think you have a nice screen now? Think again. We have been living on display surfaces, both in the cathode ray tube and now the LCD/LED era, at resolutions of no greater than 75 dots per inch (dpi), at best…usually 72 dpi.

drool over this: 326 dpi! Math: 326/75 = 4.3X improvement in picture clarity. It used to be, I “thinned” out pictures for web use to 100 dpi, because above that, you couldn’t tell the difference, and it also less data to transfer, so the pictures on a web page loaded much faster. Now 400 dpi wil have to be the default standard for high quality on the net. That also means more data flying about, clogging the pipes. In actuality, it will be a while before we really have to worry about this, as only the really big corporations, and “bleeding edge” early adopters will have such displays, but maybe 5-8 years down the road, this resolution will become an accepted common standard. My prediction, not connected to anything I’ve read…yet.

WordPress is no longer just blogging software. It’s now a true “Content Management System” (CMS). I’ll be revamping the site one day, to take advantage of this functionality, but It will be a planned, staged retooling, as I see potential for dropping all the blog posts into thin air, if the right steps aren’t taken. I have a “sandbox” out there in the net, just so I can see what steps to take, in what order. Part of my self-educating process, so I can do it for clients.

Windows 7 is still doing well. I like it more and more. I still haven’t migrated my trusty workhorse, the laptop, but that is another staged, well planned event, so as not to come up saying “Hey! Where did ________________ file go?” Sort of like the locker room scene in “Top Gun,” where the “best of the best” discussed their first day of practice air combat maneuvers (ACM). That part of the locker room scene isn’t on YouTube…

There are a few notes from my world, to give you some insight into yours!

I’ve suspected, at the barely conscious level that when we all grab our ‘driods and tap into “all you can eat” web surfing, the networks will begin to wheeze.

What next?  Well, as consumers, we shall begin to talk bad about the services that served us well, until we could chop on large heaps of bytes with essentially miniaturized computers in our hands.

At the ARS Technica site, they say this:  How SmartPhones are bogging down some carriers:

Even though AT&T has made improvements to its network over the last couple of years—including moving towers to an 850MHz spectrum that can more easily penetrate building walls, as well as upgrading to faster 7.2Mbps HSPA+ protocols—those improvements have done little to stem the tide of complaints from consumers in larger urban areas. Those users experience frequent dropped calls and an inability to make data connections, and in general they feel that service is spotty.

Just think, the iPad is going to be coming in large numbers…and the Slate, to join the many new phones which are the all in one digital tether to the net we seek like crack.

The pure technical facts are, the “bandwidth” (think of how many lanes in the road) can be used faster than more of the capability can be added. It’s not like we all haven’t experienced this with road construction sometimes in our lives.

As technology allows components to get smaller, and more powerful, the “geeks” among us come up with ways to apply them to practical problems. In this case, it’s a project called “SixthSense.”

I have dabbled in voice recognition as far back as the Apple II+ days (that’s a long time ago. I didn’t even ask about the cost of the software, I just played with it at Apple World in Boston for as long as I could, in my first encounter. Now, voice systems at the other end of our phones “know’ our voices without us “training” them.

Move to the world of “gestures.” Even before the iPhone using mulittouch technology (reads two points and reacts based on relative movement between them), Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) had a set of gestures for things like add and delete characters and spaces, as you “typed” with your stylus.

Add to this the next small mix of current technology: Face tracking on your webcams. As you move, the digital controls have determined where your face is and automatically keep it centered with in it’s limits of digital or physical movement. That’s on your desk today. More sophisticated systems are being used for security purposes, too.

Now we do have the iPhone and may copycats, like the HTC Touch phone. Microsoft and other companies have demonstrated multi-touch of many more points and Apple has recently patented a multi-user/multi-touch system, that just knows the different sets of fingers and palms touching the display. Look for this type of technology to show up on your favorite high end restaurant’s table soon, with a direct interface to the kitchen and bar staff.

Now, I’ll get back to SixthSense, which requires a small projector and a camera, and a place to project on.  Basically, the projector becomes your display, and the camera sees what your hands are doing between you and the projected image.  Now the software takes over to allow the interpretation, in context, of the hand movements to provide a “Minority Report” like virtual reality display operated just by the motions of your hands in mid air.  Just think, that movie came out in 2002, and here we are, coming close to this being a common method of interacting with a digitally enhanced world.  Does life imitate art or does art imitate life?

This project is designed to be part of a wearable computing system.  Other projects, such as the Microsoft Natal, are for use with a fixed system, in front of your installed display (TV/computer monitor).

This really isn’t far off, and while the videos show the interaction is a little bit jerky, and the componets, as small as they are, are still somewhat unwieldy, this is what “engineering models” look like, and then some other engineers get to work doing things like integrating projectors and cameras and mirrors into a designer set of glasses frames, so it’s actually useful and comfortable.

“Early adopters” will be the people who take a Dremel Tool to that fancy biking helmet, and won’t mind the wires running down the back of thier shirt’s to connet to the battery and computer package.  Trust me, you’ll be repulsed and attracted, simultaneously, to this person and want to know how you can do it too, but you’ll only buy in if they can guarantee you that there is no residual “helmet hair” when you remove your “device.” This prototype was put together for $350 in parts. Amazing!

Interested in the bigger story?  Watch this video of the man who conceived and made this work:  Pranav MistryTED.

Just what do I mean by that?  Her’s some information on the basic cycle of the electronics industry tha will help you each year, about this time, to make some great decisions on how to spend your money.

The sales are great this time of year.  Beginning with Black Friday, you will see what looks to be incredible pricing.  Some of it really incredible if you want to get to the front of the store and camp out all night and be ready for the rush when the doors open.  Why?

Generally, new technology hits the market in late January/Early February.  New processors, new video cards, and all sorts of extra capabilities in existing equipment.  I suspect there will be plenty of “multi-touch” toys coming our way in the coming year, and possibly many more than just seeing two points of contact.  “Gesturing” will become more of a capability, as we find computers can recognize certain motions we can agree to have common meanings.  So, all this being said, why do I mention early 2010?  Simple:  You have to clear the warehouses and logisitics pipelines of the “old” stuff.  There you have a reason for the timing of the sales.  And…it also doesn’t hurt the retailers to make some bucks…

The deals will be good, on newly manufactured equipment, that may have been in the supply chain for many months now, and they aren’t even making that model any longer, but it has to be sold at the best price possible.  What will be on the shelves coming 1st Quarter next year?  New stuff, and some people will be lamenting 1)  Hey, I paid that much for a system that can’t do that! and 2) I got ripped off!

Well, if you always wait for the next best thing, you’ll never get to buy anything.  So…take you lumps, and know this:

• You get to write it off for this year, if it’s a business related item.  That adds back some of the value

• For most people, unless you must be on the bleeding edge of capability, you probably got a perfectly capable system for your needs.  If all you do is basic office type documents, and email, and use something like QuickBooks, you’re fine.  Most of those programs don’t demand even a portion of the computer’s power you have right now, that you are replacing.

Bottom line:  If you need a new system for routine business work, shop this holiday season and go for it.  If you need the cutting edge, at least wait until ‘the cutting edge” is the majority of what’s on the shelves come early next year, then buy it.  Some of that equipment is available now, but it’s very pricey still.

Bonus information:  You can have all the “cores” in the world, but there is a very limited amount of software that will use more than one processor (core) at a time.  It will be sometime before multi-core functional software is mainstream, so short of doing very high end video/photo editing, two cores are fine for just about everyone.

The world is changing rapidly. Not only in the technology that allows us to do amazing things. but how we use it. eMail is actually becoming yesterday’s news. Many haven’t gotten the memo, but it’s true. Social Media sites and their connectivity tools are becoming eMail 2.0. Trust me, keep an eye on that trend, and the smart marketeer will make sure they are positioned to take advantage of the methods.

Will you have to learn some more things? Oh, yes, but….what haven’t you had to learn along the way in life?

Hardware is shifting. I’m now connected with Liberty International because of their WOW Mobile cell phones. Guess what? It’s not actually a cell phone anymore, it’s a small computer and you now are sending your voice over VOIP, just like you do with your Brighthouse/ComCast/Vonage phone.

Speaking of Wow Mobile (ask me for details, you can actually get your all you can talk.surf/text and connect) bill covered by referrals!), it works on 3G GSM formatted networks. It will will also work on 4G (4th Generation) networks. Haven’t heard of those? That’s a technology coming soon (and in a few cities now) based on Wi-Max service, which is longer ranged and faster wireless data connections. Sprint bought Wi-Max a few years back and they are now rolling it out in major cities. With Wi-Max, you have the capability of surfing at speeds you’re used to at home, connected via hardwires. Consider the possibilites there for really going mobile.

Consider the computing power being crammed into the form factor of a cell phone, rivalling what we called “desktop” computers a few years ago. And it’s getting better faster. For those old enough, the Dick Tracy wrist watch will be far more than a communications device, and probably smaller soon. And don’t forget about display technology, where they are even forging ahead with implants for you eye. Dude! You can be watching the game during meetings! Oh, sorry, you can be reviewing the applicable spreadsheet to make intelligent comments on at the meeting…

Apple, the leader in making “You can’t do that” possible, has put in for a patent on multi-touch surfaces, where it can even distinguish between different people’s hands on the surface, so responses are customized.

reuslting from that will be new ways we communicate with the ultra small computing devices that allow us this capability. Think virtual keyboard and also…get ready…mind control of your typing! Yes, it’s now been done on Twitter by a man who has devoted much time to figuring out how to sense the mind’s waves and direct them. Think of the implications for the disabled….a whole new world awaits them!

The future is heading our way faster and faster and getting more affordable. Overlay that with our instant gratification desires and know your customers will soon be expecting constant and instant contact with you. That, in and of itself, will present an entirely new set of challenges for appropriate behavior (and how to manage and pay employees) in the near future.

So…keep your ears and eyes open and don’t miss the boat!

Samsung has introduced a line of LED TVs, and they are a premium price, but not outrageously expensive. Like the genius of the MacBook Air, these use LEDs as the back light, saving energy and weight and space.

Sony has the next technology in the hopper, too: Organic LED TVs/displays.

Now LG is entering the fray, with plans for a 15″ TV coming to the commercial market soon.

The benefit? OLEDs produce their own lighting. No need for the fluorescent tubes in the back, with the increase in form factor to house them, and the extra electical and electronics to power/control them. Net result: Thinner displays. Side benefit? Lighter weight. Now there’s not the issues with the wall mount style where you can’t really get into the structure of the wall for an anchor point in a stud to save yourself from coming home to the carnage of a TV smashed in the middle of the family room.

Other benefits? OLEDs, can use a single light tube (I don’t recall the proper term) to display the red, green and blue signal needed to produce a “pixel” (picture element) on the screen. Right now, we are used to seeing a pixel that actually is comprised of three separate parts, positioned together to dispaly the correct colors. Because of this, we have been limited to the 72-75 dots per inch resolution on a computer display. With the “stacking” of the LEDs, the resolution will tripple, meaning pictures that come very much closer to looking like a high quality photograph.

Better yet? They are produced on a flexible plastic “substrate” and are bendable (not foldable). consider the application of being able to put a display on a non-flat, or even flexible surface (think clothing) for all sorts of purposes….Wow, huh?

Table of contents for Win7 Wonderland

1. Walking in a Windows 7 Wonderland

Pulling together left over parts and a few Craig’s List purchases, I have a “box” now up and running on the Microsoft Windows 7 “Release Candidate 1.” I’m using the 64bit version of the operating system so I can take advantage of more memory for the computer to use while working.

System specs:
Pentium D 3.4Ghz processor, ECS PX1 Socket 775 motherboard, 4GBs of Kingston DDR2 PC6400 RAM, 2 x 74GB Western Digital “Raptor” (10K RPM) hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration, a DVDRW all in an ANTEC Sonata II Case. Video is and XFX 8800GTX with 768M or DDR3 RAM on board.

Pretty healthy box….

Note: On night 1, I had a single 1GB stick of DDR2 PC6400 RAM, with known errors, but I went ahead and used it because I was impatient.

Impressions: Loads fast, runs fast, faster than my Quad core 3.6Ghz Pentium Extreme with 4GBs of RAM and WinXP Professional, which also has a RAID 0 hard drive set up, but has an ATI 4870X2 graphics card with 2GBs of DDR5 video RAM on board.

The install went smoothly, once I got a floppy (yes, a floppy) made with the RAID drives for the motherboard. I could have used a USB drive to handle the extra requirement to load those drivers, but I went the tried and true route, since I had a USB 3.5″ floppy drive sitting nearby, and a boatload of brand new 3.5″ floppies from a friend recently moving (if you need one for a rainy day, or to show your kids how tough we had it back in the day, I’ll provide one (you come get it) for free!). If I hadn’t been putting my two drives in the system to act like one, then this wouldn’t have been an issue, so don’t sweat it if you’re building a system with a single boot drive.

There were some updates to do (and there had been almost daily), and the system alerted me and quickly had them in. I began my “routine” of installing my normal use programs so I can get a feel for the difference in performance. All routine, except one of my favorite Free! tools to keep my system safe, PCTools Firewall is oly written to support a 32 bit operating system, so I was on the hunt. A quick search got me to the Komodo free firewall and it’s working fine.

Side note: The interesting thing was I was able to get the system loaded up on the 1G of RAM and things went well,, until…I began adding more utilities, that would constantly run on top of the operating system, such as the firewall and anti-virus/anti-spyware applications. The computer would work…then freeze. I grabbed a single stick of DDR2 PC5300, which was only 512MBs and tried it. It worked OK, and I was actually surprised it ran. It was locking up when I tried to start programs, but they said the minimum as 1GB of memory for Win7…

The 4GBs got installed on Saturday afternoon and I installed a game that drives the system hard (on the ones I use now), both on the CPU and the graphics. I put the options for the display near the top of the capabilities and everything ran fine. I have a “widgets” (like the ones that came out for Vista) that shows the use of the CPU and the memory. I was’t hitting the top end of either while the game was running.

I should have some video/graphics and sound editing programs loaded later this week, so I can see how those compare to my current machines.

You can’t download copies of Win7 from Microsoft now, but you can get the key. I do have the files to make the DVD to do the install, but you’ll have to go to Microsoft and get a key of your own (they are free). You can also pre-order Windows 7 right now for an upgrade or full product (for a new system install) right now. Release date is scheduled for Oct 22nd.

I have previously placed an upgrade on a friend’s system, that had XP Home on it. The upgrade was as smooth as my new install and she’s been usiing Windows 7 for several months now…longer than I have! It’s running just fine on an eMachine with a single core 1.6Ghz processor and 2GBs of RAM.

I believe Microsoft has recovered from the issues of Vista. I hope so…

If you’re holding off on buying that new system, waiting until after 10/22, you don’t have to. You’ll get the ability to upgrade from the operating system installed when Win7 comes out.

Some people are putting their heads together trying to figure it out using WordPress.

Hmmm…there’s the mention of that free blogging software with a very large user base, and a very active user forum, and a very active group of theme and plugin in developers….and iPhones…they’re all around. How many of your clients/potential clients are going to be using them?

Ok, now, take a deep breath and see what’s in the not so distant future for “interfacing” with your computer. From Microsoft, the Natal:

Update 7/15/2009: And, see some applications already in the works using this technology:

Update 7/16/2009: It’s not just planned for the XBox, either…Microsoft already is planning on a PC “takeover,” too.

Update 7/17/2009: And…after a camera/mic that figures this all out…mind control isn’t as far off as you may think. So simple a simian can do it. Think Bill Gates can?