My experience with Windows 7 has been mixed. I upgraded from Vista and the main problem with that was that Windows 7 requires 16GB free hard disk space to upgrade. It seems it’s a common problem. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an easy solution besides uninstalling apps. In the end the Windows 7 installer was happy with 12 GB free space and after the upgrade the winsxs folder was cleared and I had over 20GB free.

Windows 7 comes with a bunch of new goodies, most of them quite useful, but the taskbar has been changed to be just a tad too much like Mac OS X and it’s missing the good old Quick Launch bar. Luckily it turns out it’s still there, though just a bit hidden. Now that my Quick Launch bar is back I feel at home again and the rest feels much like Vista.

* A troptical year is 365.242190 days long. A regular year has 365 days and a leap year 366.
* February 2008 has 5 Fridays, the last time that happened was in 1980.
* The Gregorian calendar was adopted to account for leap years. The Julian calendar had too many.

Read more interesting info about leap years at timeanddate.com

I also like his thinking that while Google is a great company and they produce great products, they are a power house that keeps many secrets and can easily become corrupt. It would be much more comforting and encouraging if it were an open source project and everyone had free access to the search algorithms with the ability to contribute. Sure there will be smartasses that benefit in the short run, but an open source community will find ways to hone the ever growing algorithm closer to what people want from it. Google’s income comes from its ad network, what is the downside of making their search open source?

javascript: document.body.contentEditable = "true"; document.designMode= "on"; void 0

For example, I went to Google and did a search for the “best blog ever”. Needless to say Da Vinci Planet wasn’t number 1 (or 2, or 3…), but then after pasting the text above into the address bar I was able to edit the Web page and voilà I’m number 1!

Google Maps has a sense of humor. Try this:

1. Go to google.com.
2. Click on Maps.
3. Click on Get Directions.
4. From: New York, New York.
5. To: Paris, France.
(Or go directly to the link here)
6. Then, read line #23.
7. Laugh.

Oh, and it will take about 29 days 7 hours!

My concern with the “next year we upgrade to Web 3.0″ suggestion is that while the term Web 2.0 has been around for a couple of years, it is barely starting to mature. Web 2.0 is all about social computing: Blogs, wikis, syndication, mashups, user generated content (UGC) and using ajax to make Websites more interactive. It trusts the community and empowers them to contribute and police content. Very few corporate Websites have ventured into this terrain. They would like to invite and build community, but dare not open the doors.

So what about Web 3.0? As it turns out people are, at this point, just speculating what Web 3.0 is going to be. According Wikipedia Web 3.0, a.k.a. the Semantic Web, is “an evolving extension of the World Wide Web in which web content can be expressed not only in natural language, but also in a form that can be understood, interpreted and used by software agents, thus permitting them to find, share and integrate information more easily�. Some people define it as Web 2.0 + artificial intelligence (AI). Others as a “world wide database�.

The graph below was created by Radar Networks and shows a believable prediction of the evolution of the Web.

So I believe we have a couple more years before Web 2.0 will be fully embraced by enterprises and only after that will Web 3.0 even start to get defined. I also believe that Web 3.0 will be more elegantly simple than what people are predicting because people love “simplicity� – just ask Google.

Indexed

It’s interesting from an SEO perspective because the site does not have much indexable content, but it has original content in the form of images. It’s the originality through creativity and simplicity that attracts users and that is more valuable than SEO.

Typorganism is a Series of Communication Experiments exploring Computational Interaction Design and Interactive Kynetic Typography based on the Metaphorical Notion of Typography, Type is a Lifeform,…

Sudoku Portable is a an addictive puzzle game originally created in France over 100 years ago. It features a 9×9 grid containing 9 3×3 grids. Within this you arrange the numbers 1 through 9. But, each number can only appear once in each of the 9 3×3 grids. And it can only appear once in each row and on each column. It’s a simple concept, but it can get addictive quickly.

Sudoku Portable – portableapps.com

We (as designers and developers) focus on making our technology easy to use and providing a good experience in the domain we control.

People want to use the information when they need it, which is quite often outside the domains we as designers and developers control.

Technosocial Architect – vanderwal.net

Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool
It is not a full featured anti-virus application, but it is a quick scanner for the most popular malicious software. It is Microsoft’s version of the McAfee Stinger.

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found.

Windows Defender
A very good anti-spyware tool that has received very good reviews. It has a simple interface and is very unobtrusive.

Windows Defender (Beta 2) is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it’s detected, and a new streamlined interface that minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar
The Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar is similar to Firefox’s Web Developer extension (not quite as good). It allows you to do several things like outline tables, table cells, images, or selected tags and validate HTML and style sheets. It includes something similar to Firefox’s live bookmarks (RSS Web feed links).

Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools
Although the title suggests that the tools are for Windows Server 2003, Windows XP is also supported. The toolkit includes useful little tools like Tail (Unix like tail for Windows).

The Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools are a set of tools to help administrators streamline management tasks such as troubleshooting operating system issues, managing Active Directory®, configuring networking and security features, and automating application deployment.

Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Resource Kit Tools
SelfSSL is a tool for generating ssl certificates, which is very useful for developers trying to develop secure sites. The Log Parser is a powerful command line tool for querying log files database style.

The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools can help you administer, secure, and manage IIS. Use them to query log files, deploy SSL certificates, employ custom site authentication, verify permissions, troubleshoot problems, migrate your server, run stress tests, and more.

Web 2.0 generally refers to a second generation of services available on the World Wide Web that lets people collaborate and share information online. In contrast to the first generation, Web 2.0 gives users an experience closer to desktop applications than the traditional static Web pages.

O’Reilly, who takes a lot of credit for the existence of Web 2.0, has a detailed article on the concept.

The idea is that blogs, wikis, rss feeds etc. and particularly the use of Ajax has made the Web a better place as far as user experience goes. Google, of course, made it famous with Google Maps and Gmail. Anyway, some people believe that you can run all the desktop applications that you typically use, on the Web. One blogger, IT Redux, refers to it as Office 2.0:

The idea is pretty simple: use a generic web browser and a set of online services to provide all the functionality needed by a computer user, removing the need for any application to be installed on the computer itself. I call it Office 2.0.

He actually has a great list of Ajax sites including pxn8.com an online photo editor.

Wikipedia: What Is Web 2.0
IT Redux: Office 2.0

The quest, which began April 17th requires skill, intellect, and perseverance. Over a span of 24 days ending May 11th, you will encounter unique challenges. These daily puzzles will pull you deeper into the world of The Da Vinci Code. Answer all 24 puzzles correctly for a chance to win untold riches.

www.google.com/davincicode

The Da Vinci Code official Web site has the original Web quest. It’s different to the quest on Google, but is also a lot of fun.  Of course for the impatient the answers are available with a quick Goolge search, like here:  Dan Brown’s DaVinci code webquest

1. Take a deep breath.
2. Develop an attitude of gratitude.
3. Smell the roses.
4. Watch the sunrise.
5. Enjoy the sunset.
6. Laugh more.
7. Worry less.
8. Develop a sense of humour… (it appears to be missing).
10. Try not to take yourself so seriously.
11. Try not to be so pompous.
12. Ditch the arrogance.
13. Learn to use commas, full stops, and capital letters.
14. Have a happy easter.

Source: Yahoo! Message Boards: NFLD