As the title points out, I'm almost ready to release WURT v.5 Beta. It's a huge improvement, both in internal code organization and actual capability. I'll post a change log here in the blog when I post the executable, but the biggest improvements are command-line switches and network time synchronization.

I'm still looking for Vista testers. I know no one actually reads my blog, but just in case, if anyone should stumble across any time soon, please email me at WURT@hitoma.com.

I'm also working on another tool, a derivative of the research behind WURT. It still needs a bit of work before I release a very early beta, but think of it as a passive WURT that runs in the background. It's called WRS, and I'll go into more detail soon.

Labels: programs, services, vista, windows update, wrs, wurt

I'm finally getting back to WURT to a decent degree. Quite a few of the features I've wanted to add for a while, like command line switches, net time updating, and Windows Vista detection, have been added in. It's still beta, but it's much better.

Expect a release and a full changelog within the next few days.

On another note, if anyone would like to beta test WURT v.5 on Windows Vista, please let me know at wurtbeta@hitoma.com.

Labels: programs, vista, windows update, wurt

I am a ninja. You should be one too.

Yeah, that title sounds a bit harsh. But though the apparent truth isn't so severe, you can see it coming.

It's not really any secret that Microsoft has given support to HD-DVD - they even plan a HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360. But today, Microsoft took a huge step - they killed next-gen playback on 32-bit Vista.

Now at first, the 'studios begged for it' argument makes sense. Yeah, the 64-bit kernel is much more secure. Yes, the studios are always asking for protection mechanisms. Yes, this doesn't affect a huge number of current users.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a little more going on here. Microsoft didn't support HD-DVD until well in the game, and there seems to be a large number of suicidal moves that don't exactly push HD-DVD anywhere but off a cliff.

Take the Xbox 360. In theory, it could have shipped with a HD-DVD drive. In theory, they could make it an addon early in the game. But by dragging their feet, Microsoft gets users to clamor for a quicker path. Enter Urge/Xbox Live Marketplace/etc. It would appear to be a smooth move for Microsoft to add video downloads and streaming, and it would start out with a huge installed base. Microsoft is all about DRM, but they want WM DRM. He who controls the DRM that wins makes the most money on hardware licenses.

Today's move, however, takes the cake. It's a thinly-veiled push for 64-bit Windows. Ever since Microsoft offered a program to swap a Windows XP Pro 32-bit license for a Windows XP 64-bit license, you can see how seriously they want this. It allows them to drop all the old kernel compatibility hacks - the article itself admits the application compatibility is not as important a concern on 64-bit Vista as it is on 32-bit. This argument - that Vista 64-bit need not be nearly as concerned with application compatibility - leaves a hole for Microsoft to exploit - code-signing, specifically signed drivers.

Let's ignore the fact that Vista 32-bit is better for old devices without unsigned drivers, cutting edge devices with very new or beta drivers, and older software. On a side note, I wonder if virtualization solutions will ever work on Vista 64-bit.

The 'signed drivers' requirement, however, does not benefit the consumer. On XP32, it simply adds a few more clicks. On Vista 64bit, you can't use a driver unless it is signed. Again, sounds like consumer protection, but it's not. A code-signing certificate costs at least $500, and requires submission of a form. While it is purchased from VeriSign, I would be shocked if Microsoft doesn't get a significant kickback.

Microsoft wants to control the technology. They have the classic Slashdot fiscal plan:

1. License out media and info distribution systems and protection technologies.
2. ???
3. PROFIT!!!

And this entire issue ignores the erosion of fair-use rights, which may emerge briefly as promises when a DRM technology appears to compete, but will then disappear when the threat is gone.

Took the day off to go to Ohio with my fiancee, Tabitha. She had a job interview which went pretty well, they want her back for a second next week.

But something caught me as kind of odd - the area is really nice. Now, it may just have been a nice area that we went through, or perhaps it's just because they try to keep it clean for the nearby amusement park, Geagua Lake. Maybe.

But whatever the case is, it's really nice there. Not a single unkempt lawn in site, traffic's not too bad, no malls but lots of plazas. The houses and apartment buildings are all new or well-kept.

It's kind off odd, compared to PA. Heck, even the road signs are better - 500 feet before each intersection, there's a sign that tells you what that road is and what road you are on. Now, this may seem, well, simplistic. However, I wish that, say, Pennsylvania did that.

It just seems to be a nice area that seems to think about the little things. It reminds me of Cranberry Township, PA (not the one where I live now, but the one just north of Pittsburgh, PA), but with a little more feng shui or balance or design. I can't describe it - it just seems nice.

Ah, the Great Dell Battery Recall of 2006 is in full effect. It only took a sixth fire, which destroyed a pickup truck, to get things really moving.

At PennDOT, where I work, we've already found one. Luckily, our main laptop model, one of the potentially dangerous, appears to be unaffected. Only some batches are, thankfully.

But I have to ask, why is it being conducted in this manner.

Dell should know every single affected laptop. Their supply chain management system should know every relevant machine's serial number. The sales and warranty systems should have contact information for each purchaser.

A couple SQL grabs, maybe another to combine duplicate emails, and you have a grand master list of People To Contact Right Now. You include serial number, you ask them to confirm the best location to send it. If the email bounces or is wrong, you call or mail. Everybody else? you still email them, saying 'According to our records, you appear to be unaffected, but here's how to check...'

This is how you solve a problem professionally. This is using business intelligence - customer relations information you already have - to save the world.

Instead, we have mass hysteria - in businesses and government organizations, multiple points of contact, from low-level users to CEOs and regional managers are being made aware of this, and then starting multiple searches for affected laptops.

Don't tell me this is profiling, illegal, or invasive. Just don't. There's no point. As these batteries age, fires will continue to occur. But the 'important news story' will die off.

Yes, it's a ton of email - 4 million affected batteries out of 22 million shipped in the last few years. Big deal - it's better than a suit about insufficient disclosure of the recall causing someone to lose their vehicle, house, life - let alone the risk of this happening on a plane. I can just see some terrorist - perhaps a reactionary of some sort who hates technology - standing up on a plane and saying "I have a Dell Latitude D610! You all will die!".

So step up, Dell. You've shown the public that there's a problem. Show us that you are truly serious about fixing it.

So Jack Thompson was on G4, about the pending release of Bully from Rockstar Games.

I'm a bit confused. Nothing really new has been released, nor have there been any new protests against the game. I'm kind of confused as to why G4 would do this now.

I'm also confused as to why G4 would do this in the first place. Jack Thompson is one of the most despised characters to the gaming community, and others aren't thrilled with him - even other anti-game crusaders distance themselves from him.

Would you look at that? If I hold down the shift key too long, G4 becomes G$.

But, I believe what confuses me the most is the actual matchup. In this corner, you have Jack Thompson, who is alone against two and therefore feels he must be twice as loud and obnoxious.

And in this corner, you have a soft-spoken CEO of a video game news site and a video game show host, Adam Sessler, who spastically calls Thompson's theories 'insane' and 'morally reprehensible'.

Is there serious debate? The CEO, Mark Reid, tries. Adam and Jack just shout at each other.

Instead of making it a contest of who can force his or her own personal ideas louder, we need intelligent debate. Is it moral to have video game violence? No. Is it moral to ignore worse TV and movie violence to target it? Probably not.

But is it moral to blame the existence of things kids should not have, that the industry says that kids should not have, for violence that existed before such things and has drastic social and economic causes that are not being adequately targeted? No.

Drugs, poverty, poor health care, racism, child abuse, poor education.... Why doesn't Jack target these direct problems first? Because they don't have a quick fix, and they aren't popular.

Nice media-mongering, Jack. You saved us. And thank you, G4, you really earned your advertising dollars.

But no thanks to the slimeballs at Penny-Arcade who, through the evil Child's Play program, give sick children video games and toys. How reprehensible.

Portable ZuluPad has a homepage at http://software.hitoma.com/PortableZulupad/.

Yes, I could have just edited the first post, but it's not often I get to have two posts in one day. Well, OK, it's rare that I post once a day.

Labels: programs

As you should know by now if you've visited this site before, I love to introduce new projects that I may never follow up on. I've found a solution, however - planned obsolescence!

I like to keep a portable workspace on my thumb drive. While, say, Firefox Portable from PortableApps goes a long way, I still needed a secure way to store passwords, etc.

I had been using FSekrit, but it was hard to organize. One big bland text file. I then saw a link on LifeHacker for ZuluPad, a lightweight personal wiki. Looked great, except for a couple of small issues:

1. It stored settings in the registry.
2. No encryption.

After porting in the author's forum, I realized he had a huge list of improvements and that it may be a while. What's a geek to do? Hack in solutions for both issues.

Introducing PortableZuluPad v0.1. It simply adds encryption and restores/cleans up registry settings. It wraps around the ZuluPad executable using Windows Scripting Host. It's easy to use, and works!

I don't have a page up for it yet, so in the meantime you can read about it in my Zulupad Forum Post, or just download it here.

Labels: programs

I'm going to give podcasting a try, but with a twist. It'll be randomly updated, and be short 2-10 minute, one topic podcasts on technology news. I'll eventually update the rest of the site with links to it, but in the meantime, visit http://www.hitoma.com/ttt/ for info.