Global Warming caused by Burritos

So we have all seen the Oscar winning Al Gore movie "An Inconvenient Truth" which blames greenhouse gases for global warming, and countless others have read the book "State of Fear" by Michael Crichton which links the global warming fears is simply replacing the Cold War fears.

Countless websites examine the "facts" such as National Geographic which agree with the movie, and countless others contradict the same "facts" such as this article. While this back and forth commentary is quite entertaining, Michael Crichton does bring one point to the table that makes sense, funding for scientists. Now there is no doubt that man is killing the earth at an ever increasing rate. Efforts have to be made to reduce the damage, as soon as possible. Even CompuQuest has a e-waste initiative in place. But the source of funding for scientists can clearly alter pure science. When you know where your next check comes from, you could be biased to please those signing it. Even with the best of intentions, it's hard to be objective all the time.

Now, imagine a body of scientists who do not know where their funding comes from. When one team decide to start a study, another undertake it, and yet another study the results. What conclusion would they come to?

I have myself examinated the problem of global warming and have found a strong link between the popularity of Mexican Food, and the greenhouse gas rise. Quebec is now threatened by the introduction of a Taco Bell in the West Island. Will all this "natural gas" melt the polar caps? Will the Burrito called a weapon of m-ass destruction? Only time will tell, but as for me, I will stick with the poutine!

I've got a bad case of the Vistas

So, I decided to be the guinea pig and buy Vista Home Premium from Future Shop (comparable to XP Media Centre). I happen to have my computer in the shop, and was able to do a full backup...just in case. I purchased the upgrade version for $168.00 plus tax. The best way to install an OS is always from scratch. Unfortunately, Vista Upgrade will only install from within Windows XP (or 2000), but it does do a clean install in the sense that it moves all your files to a folder called windows.old. The upgrade also invalidates your existing XP license. There is a way to perform a clean install it is reported, and this is how you do it:

Install Vista (Boot from the CD) and install the version you bought. DO NOT put your serial number, and it will become a 30 day trial. Finish installing Vista, and do it again, this time from Vista (Windows) and choose to upgrade. Now put in your Key and you will have performed a clean install. Of course, make sure you abiding by the license agreement, but it seems like a good compromise to get a clean install.

Wow. Talk about eye candy. I have a P4 3.2 GHz, with 2 GB of Ram, and a good Nvidia card with 256 MB of ram. Not the most recent, but not too shabby either. I am able to use the Aero desktop, which is because I have a dedicated video card.

Observations:
Takes a little getting used to finding out where everything is.
Whenever you install something or the CD autoruns, you are asked to confirm the action. Although this might sound annoying, it is actually a great protection.
Nice little extras like Mahjong and Chess games.
The built in DVD movie maker is pretty good. I normally use Pinnacle software, but it was getting more and more buggy.
Playing DivX or Xvid files where a little strange using vlc media player. I would say a little blocky. Hoping updating the video driver will fix that.
I installed Lego Star Wars Trilogy and that worked perfectly, but tried installing Bratz Babyz (for my daughter...not for me!) and that did not work at all!
My Sound Blaster Audigy was not detected, but installing Beta drivers from Creative Labs got it working.

Should you upgrade? Make sure you use a high end P4 with 1 GB, but preferably 2 GB of ram, and a good video card. Make sure it is not your primary work computer, because its stability has yet to be proven. Install it if you are not afraid of change (How did you react with the new IE7? Hate it? Then don't upgrade to Vista).

On another note, I also tried Office 2007. Love the new look. Love the new menus (completely different from what you are used to). Outlook on my laptop is a dog! Sloow as molasses. Kind of frustrating.

So, I'm glad I upgraded, and I'll let you know when I get my first blue screen.

Drug Testing for Rock Stars

Being that the Grammy Awards are a competition, how funny would it be if we applied the rules of drug testing in sports, to the rock star lifestyle.

Who would fail the Urine Test?

Keith Richards would probably melt the cup with his sample.
If Cristal was on the list, what Hip Hop artist would survive?
Pete Doherty would fail, but at least he gets a reality TV show!

How would the music sound?

Maybe we should just leave them alone, and enjoy their music as they enter the ever growing list of dead rock stars.

Truth in Business

I would like to hear this when calling tech support/customer service:

"Your call may be recorded, because frankly, I will probably ignore you and not listen to anything you say. I'm stuck on this Sudoku puzzle at the moment. My boss on the other hand will probably want to know what the big deal was, so might as well record you."