You would think converting a virtual machine from one format to another would be simple. Especially when there are multiple blogs out there on how to do it. But, of course not - so time for another misadventure in computing post. I was asked by a colleague to get a copy of a demo virtual... Continue Reading →
Misadventures with Windows 8.1 and BootCamp on a MacBook Pro
This weekend, I put Windows 8.1 Enterprise Edition 64-bit on a 15" mid-2011 MacBook Pro. It turned out to be much more of a (mis)adventure than I anticipated. What I Tried and Failed My goal was to simply burn a USB-stick installer, put Windows 8.1 on it, and then put the Bootcamp 5 software on... Continue Reading →
My Take: Adobe Creative Cloud, Office 365, Software Subscriptions, and Old Photos
OK, so I am taking the plunge. Sometime before the expiration of the July 31st cut-off for the CS6 migration promotion, I'll be switching to Creative Cloud. Why? Feature-value. I have been playing with an evaluation of Lightroom 5 (which coincidentally is the only product still available on a perpetual license). I'm sold. And now... Continue Reading →
The next killer app from Amazon?
I am a bookworm. I have several thousand actual books. And another few hundred Kindle books. Managing this is a nightmare. Especially when it comes to reconciling series between the physical and virtual libraries. And furthermore, I am sick of getting recommendations for books I own. (Yes I can go in and individually mark a... Continue Reading →
My Review of Windows Phone 8
My first smartphone was a Windows Mobile device – a Motorola MPX200 to be precise. And that was all I used for the next few years culminating with the Treo 750W on Windows Mobile 6.5. Then, the iPhone 3G came around. Everything about my iPod and phone was combined into one. And everything Windows Mobile... Continue Reading →
Out of Pseudo-Stealth Mode
To summarize the last twelve months: wow! Since the acquisition of Cactus Commerce by Ascentium, a big part of my day job was working on integrating the two businesses into a new brand and value proposition. This finally came to fruition with the launch of the SMITH brand a few weeks back, along with the... Continue Reading →
iPhone vs. Windows Phone 7
I have been doing a fair bit of traveling in the United States. My iPhone 4 is on Telus in Canada. The roaming fees are not cheap. So I've whipped out my old US cell account - and put it on a Samsung Focus running Windows Phone 7 (from a Nexus One on Android). In... Continue Reading →
A Shot in the Dark
Atotonilco & Vicinity #121, a photo by rdonovan on Flickr. Surrounding the Church at Atotonilco are many abandoned native chapels. Just sitting there. In cornfields. Or converted to barns, etc. The shot here was taken in the near dark, as there was zero light other than from the front entrance - of the ceiling of... Continue Reading →
How to Triple-Boot a MacBook Pro
I have used a MacBook Pro as my secondary laptop since the day Boot Camp became available in 2006 - and as a primary laptop since the first-generation unibody aluminum machines in November 2008. The principal reason is the unmatched flexibility in operating systems and the demonstration opportunities that present themselves. I run my system... Continue Reading →
Toasted!
Now I have seen everything in the realm of software stupidity. Fortunately, it is not Microsoft who's at fault! Surprisingly, it's Apple. I have one of the very first MacBook Pro 15" laptops ever made. I purchased it the day Boot Camp came out - and never looked back. The machine has been flawless -... Continue Reading →