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by Josh Baltzell.
Original Post: The Josh List v3.0
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Feed Description: Weblog of Josh Baltzell. Focusing on the computer industry and .NET programming related news. I like to get involved on the discussions wherever they are.
I don't know how anyone does a list like this daily. I can't even get one a week out. Does that make me a slacker? Screw you! This has like 38 links in it, it takes time to comb the blogs for rare posts about iPods and free software and Fahrenheit 9/11... err wait. That's not hard to find at all. Oh well, here is this week's huge ass list of crap I skimmed through.
Internet News:
"Alt-Tab in Longhorn" Here is a cool screenshot of usage of the 3d engine in longhorn. This is how Alt-Tab should be. Dylan Greene brings up a good point at the same time. He commented on the fact that there are no easy ways to discover alt-tab. "I bet most people don't know this. How would they? It's never shows up on the screen. Windows never suggest using it. There's no manual with Windows anymore."[READ]
"Video accounted for 27%, up from 25.2%." I have a friend (yeah, that's it. A friend) that downloads video illegally all the time. I... I mean he has DirecTV with Tivo, but sometimes he want to watch some of those shows in his Bedroom on his PC instead of in the living room. Who is he stealing from? The networks? DirecTV? Also, let's put some thought in to what these videos are that people are sharing so heavily. It is one part Friends episodes, one part Simpsons, one part movies, one part other, and 984 parts porn. [READ]
"37% of European software is pirated." I find that I use less and less pirated software every year. I think that is because work has bought me some of the software I was already using a pirated copy of at home so it became less interesting. [READ]
Right now is is 28.607 in the afternoon... in metric time. I just wish we would go to teh 24 hour clock to alleviate the classic AM/PM alarm clock problem. Come to think of it, that would get rid of an excuse for me to use. Nevermind. [READ][via .Avery]
Google has made Picasa available for free download. Picasa is an image catalog more or less. It lets you do some manipulation like red-eye removal etc., but it is mostly a catalog. Plus it has a cool interface and it is prices competitively... free. [READ][via ScottW]
Think I could host a domain at home by running a virtual server on a desktop? That would be the Stone Raccoon. [READ][via ScottW]
Programming:
"52% of application developers use .NET" That's a pretty impressive stat. What are the rest of you using? I assume some have to be using crazy stuff like RPG and FoxPro, so where does that leave Java percentage-wise? [READ]
"ASP.NET development saves 25% of resources compared to J2EE" I just post the news. Why do I have to have a comment? [READ]
Article on salting your hash. If you don't know what that means then don't bother reading it. [READ][via .Avery]
A great article out there for programmers like me. I'm sure it applies to lots of other jobs too, but it hits a lot of problems that I deal with daily. "The Importance of Focus", "The Danger of Over Committing", "Leave Work at Work" [READ]
The new generation of Roomba Automatic vacuum robots are out. I think I am two generations away from talking the old lady in to buying one. [READ][via Dylan Greene]
The fourth generation iPods are out and I am even closer to buying one. Especially since the price came down $100. [READ]
ScottW got Vonage and I am jealous. Their website says I can't get it in my area for some reason. [READ]
Carl and Rory are giving away a tablet PC. It must be mine. That is the coolest tablet of them all if you ask me. [READ]
The 2005 Mustang is looking pretty cool. Usually I am not much of a mustang fan, but I like the retro look this body style has. [LOOK][via Adam]
Other:
Clerks X DVD Coming soon. Who doesn't like Kevin Smith? [READ]
It's nice to see MS doing good design work. In the last few years I have been more and more impressed with the design work coming out of Microsoft. [WATCH][via Alex Barnett]
"During Prince's tour this year with his New Power Generation band, each concertgoer receives a copy of his new "Musicology" CD at the gate." That's a pretty great idea. In the article a few good points are made about why this is a good idea. One idea that I think they overlooked is the power of fanatics and early adopters. I call them early adopters even though that is not what they are in this situation, but the process is the same. A huge Prince fan might go see the show three or four times and he already owned the CD in the first place. What is he to do with those extra copies? Give them away to friends and recommend the product. [READ]
Duke University is giving incoming freshman "free" iPods. Cool idea, but why not buy another brand that has a mic built in so they could record lectures? [READ]
"To search for information, a user sends a question to his own referral agent, which broadcasts the query to all of the user's buddies' agents, said Zhang [researcher at University of Michigan]. A referral agent in the buddy's messenger searches its information identity profile to see if that person is likely to be able to answer the question. If not, the agent either returns empty results or forwards the query to its buddies, depending on how the user has set the software. When a likely match is found, that person sees the question and the path the query traveled, said Zhang. This friend-of-a-friend or friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend of the questioner "can either start chatting immediately, or discuss the questions... later if the answering person prefers not to be disturbed at that time" [READ]
This Lindows... err Linsire promotional video is ridiculous. Not only is it ridiculous, it is low quality. Who is this marketing working on? [READ][via Christopher Anthony]
Previous Topic
"Alt-Tab in Longhorn" Here is a cool screenshot of usage of the 3d engine in longhorn. This is how Alt-Tab should be. Dylan Greene brings up a good point at the same time. He commented on the fact that there are no easy ways to discover alt-tab. "I bet most people don't know this. How would they? It's never shows up on the screen. Windows never suggest using it. There's no manual with Windows anymore." 
