Greetings Readers!

For far too long, I have heard the constant complaining about Vista. Over and over again, I have heard and read “Vista Sucks!” “Microsoft should abandon Vista,” among a number of other bandwagon slogans. The problem is that none of these make sense. In several articles, I have noticed in the forums that many people like Vista or see no problems with it now that most software works with the operating system.

From what I have seen, people seen to have two major problems with Vista, the User Account Control, and the lack of legacy hardware support.

Since the UAC can be easily turned off to get rid of all the annoying security pop ups, that leaves the only real complaint being the lack of legacy hardware support. Many people seem to see the lack of support for devices going back 20 years as a bad thing, when actually, it is a good thing.

Before you start spamming the comments with statements like “You are an idiot”, you need to hear my reasoning. The more an operating system is stuck in the past, the slower it will be to progress forward. If you have to write thousands or millions of lines of code just to maintain some form of backward compatibility, that takes away from trying to move forward with innovative ideas and modern conveniences.

Considering the seemingly small amount of innovation in Vista, that is not my main reason for my position. The main reason is that people must move forward. Spending millions of dollars to maintain backward compatibility because a few people don’t want to change, makes little sense. Forcing people into the 21st century is not only a good thing for Microsoft, but it is good for all technology industries as well as the consumer. There is no reason to stay on a printer from a decade ago just because it works when there are newer, more productive and better quality solutions on the market. Allowing people to remain on an old device in an ever changing world of technology is not a good business idea. If manufacturers wanted to continue to support old devices, it is their job to create drivers for their devices, NOT Microsoft. This is another reason this idea makes no sense. It is not Microsoft’s responsibility to support the product of another country from a decade ago.

If we expect technology to continue to evolve at the current pace or faster, we must be willing to let go of the past and embrace the present. The average computer using household replaces their computer every two years. If we replace our computer every two years, shouldn’t the same be expected of our other devices?

We live in a time of standards, and using old devices hinders new standards. It slows the adoption of new standards and reduces compatibility between software and hardware. By allowing the technology to move on, it helps speed the development of future innovations.  If you send the message to a company that their product is so good, that they have no need to purchase future products, there is less of a reason for the company to innovate and come out with new and exciting products.

Vista is a necessity for both the industry and consumer as well as Microsoft. Calling Vista a failure or saying it needs to die is not what is best for anybody. For those that hope to just wait Vista out, not only will that create security and other problems for you, there is no guarantee that your already old device will work on Windows 7. If you don’t jump on board now, you are only placing yourself at a disadvantage for being able to use future technology.

-pcnerd37

Here is a cool link that was sent to me about the Best Evil Robot.  Its pretty cool, check it out and make sure to Digg It!

Another post coming today!

Hello readers!

After doing some thinking about my Twitter posts and the reactions to them, I believe I have come up with an idea that will improve the quality of twitter and cut out several of my rules for proper Twitter Etiquette.

What is my idea? Tagging. I believe it would be very beneficial to tag Twitter posts. By requiring users to tag their twitter posts, it would allow for an easy search of Twitter posts on a related topic. If you are looking to find somebody’s post about an event, you can just search by their used tags. Not only would this allow for a powerful search feature, but tagging could used to follow specific topics.

Like I talked about in my first Twitter Etiquette post, not all users want to follow your posts about specific events or topics. By allowing people to tag their posts (ex: sxsw), other users could choose not to receive notification of tweets when users post with a specific tag. This would eliminate the need for multiple accounts. If somebody wanted to promote one of their projects, you can choose to see or not see the post by filtering messages based upon the post tag.

The concept of tagging would give great power to all types of Twitter users. Tagging opens up a whole new world of possibilities and uses for Twitter. Allowing users to have a greater degree of customization over their use and experience is the key to adoption beyond the new media and geek crowds. If anybody from Twitter happens to read this post, give much consideration to this idea as it would be a huge benefit to your service.

-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

Hello readers!

Unlike many of the YouTube commenters, I generally hold my tongue when it comes to the videos that drift around the viral video sites, but today that changes.  While I am sure that what I am about to post will turn into another controversy like the Twitter post, what I have to say needs to be said.

While the problem of unoriginal and uncreative videos plagues all video sharing sites,  it seems to be the worst on YouTube.  While their are a number of posters that upload original and creative videos, thereis also a plague of users that create copycat videos.  As a YouTube user, I find it disappointing whenever I go to the site and find that much of the new content is just a copycat video of one that made it famous.  This lack of creativity and effort to create something new is a cancer on viral video sites and must be removed before these sites can become truly valuable places on the internet.

It seems that many people believe that since people like Chris Crocker can become famous for videos telling people to leave Britney Spears alone that they can do the same thing and become popular.  While many people chose to do similar videos about other celebrities, the idea behind the video is still exactly the same.  While videos like that might make you popular among fellow fans, it will not bring the mainstream success that you seek.

Creativity and originality are the keys to viral video success.  If you post a video that is creative and original, it is far more likely to raise to the top than a copycat video.  Experiment with different ideas and topics so that if you make it big, you can say that it was your own, original idea rather than stealing the concept from somebody else.  There is a lot to be said for doing your own thing instead of ripping somebody else off.

Not only is doing your own thing likely to increase your success in the viral video world, but it increases the diversity of content that can be found on viral video sites.  Much like television, it is far better to have original and diverse ideas rather than having multiple spin-offs of the same show.  Keep in mind that whether its viral videos, movies or TV shows,  sequels are almost never as good as the original.  If television networks or websites lack diversity, they will be lucky to survive, much less become successful.

This concept applies to all forms of media and entertainment, whether its viral videos, blogs, video games, movies, television, radio, or podcasts.  If you have dreams of fame and fortune, dream about what your next original idea is instead of what internet trend you can copy.

-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

While this isn’t the first time I have run into this issue, my recent posts about Twitter Etiquette has helped me realize the importance of constructive commenting.

Comments like “First!”, “Bite me”, “You suck”, as well as other mindless garbage should not be posted in a blog or social news websites comments. These comments have nothing to do with the posting and are not only rude, but do nothing to further the conversation. If you are going to waste your time on the internet do something other than waste peoples space and bandwidth.

I’m not saying you have to agree with everything somebody posts, but if you have an opposing view, state it and the thought process behind it. Saying something like “You are wrong” does nothing to further the conversation. Offer constructive criticism! The internet is about the free sharing of ideas, not the flaming of other people simply because you do not understand or believe in what they say. Here are a few tips for leaving constructive comments.

1. Ask the author to clarify what he says. If you are unsure of what the post author is trying to say or can’t see how they made the leap from observation to conclusion, ask them to explain it better. Just because you don’t understand somebody’s point, does not mean its not a valid point. Feel free to ask as many questions as is needed so that you can understand the issue and be able to provide some constructive thought about the topic.
2. If you are an expert on the topic, speak up! If you happen to be an expert on a particular topic and believe that the author or other commenter’s don’t understand what they are talking about or have some details wrong, jump in and share your knowledge. Don’t simply say “These people are idiots” and continue on your way. Help inform them so they can speak intelligently about the topic in the future. Doing this will not only impress the readers with your knowledge, but it will spur a more informed conversation.
3. Post links to related content. If you know a great source of more information on the topic, feel free to post the link. Anybody concerned with the post will be very happy to learn more about the topic. Often blogs aren’t long enough to go in great detail of a topic, so posting links that will give other readers more detail is often greatly appreciated as it saves people the time they would use to search for more information on the topic.
4. Post polite comments. The old adage of if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all, can easily apply to blog or social news posts. While I am not saying you should not speak negatively about the post if it warrants it, it is not necessary to flame the user with obscenities and directions to where he can go. Keep in mind that when you say something on the internet, it won’t go away and can easily come back to haunt you in the future. What you say and how you say it affects your reliability and reputation. While a post like “Nice job” isn’t the most constructive post, it is at least more respectable than “You suck”.
5. Offer alternative ideas. Many topics are not black and white and won’t have a single answer of solution. If you or somebody you know has an alternative idea, share it! Progress is achieved through the concept of idea sharing, not keeping your opinion to yourself. Sometimes an alternate idea is better than the original idea, so share your thoughts on the subject.
6. Suggest improvements. If somebody is posting about some kind of project they have in the works, suggest improvements for any areas you see that could be improved upon. Similar to the alternative ideas point, if you have an idea that could be more efficient than they way they are currently doing something, suggest it! If they don’t want to listen to you, that is their choice, but at least suggest improvements. Often you will be thanked for your input.
7. Be original!  While you may agree with other commenter’s viewpoints, don’t just repeat what they have said.  Thinking for yourself and having your own, unique opinion is embraced on the internet.  Expand on what others have said or state why you don’t subscribe to their entire thought.  It is not necessary to be correct, just original.

Following these guidelines will help you become a valued commenter on any blog or social news outlet.  Remember, on the internet knowledge is valued and trolls are despised.  Most importantly, respect the opinions of others if you want others to respect yours.

-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

Greetings Readers!

I have been surprised by the reaction I have received in last post about Twitter Etiquette.  I expected to get flamed, but not quite like I did.  I have decided to write a second post in response to the reaction I have received from the first post.  I also have some new rules that were brought to my attention after the original post.  Before I introduce the additions to my list of rule for proper Twitter etiquette, I shall respond to some of the comments I received over the last story.

Before I respond to specific issues, my “rules” are not something enforceable and are not intended to be.  They are for the benefit of the Twitter users and in hopes of keeping the Twitter service stable.  Twitter doesn’t need any help to crash, excessive usage doesn’t do them any favors.  That said, it seems that many people do not understand what Twitter is.

Twitter is a micro-blogging service, NOT a chat room or instant messenger.   If you want to have large discussions, use an IRC chat, not massive @ usage.  People who don’t care about your @ conversation don’t want their feed spammed with your conversation because you are too inconsiderate to move to an actual chat room.

I have had a number of people suggest that I stop following people that I had these issues with.  I don’t like doing that because occasionally these people Twitter something I find valuable.  In the months that I have used Twitter, I have followed probably 50 different people.  I stopped following four of the top users that I was following and it cut the tweets I receive by probably 75%.  While I won’t name names, but it is people like them that flood everybody’s Twitter feeds which ruin the experience for their fellow users.  I don’t like to stop following people, but if you have an unhealthy obsession with Twitter that creates a less enjoyable user experience for me, I will stop following you.  The purpose of my list is so that people don’t create a less enjoyable experience for others.

The final point I want to address that I have received some feedback on is my thought of multiple accounts.  While nobody seems to disagree with my idea of moving automated posts to a second account, many people don’t seem to understand my idea of having different accounts for different purposes.  The purpose of having multiple accounts is that followers may care about some things you post, but not everything.  By having an account for multiple things, you can have happy followers that care about that particular topic but don’t want to be inundated with messages that you post about other topics.  I will give you an example.  Say somebody hosts a large number of podcasts or blogs about several different topics.  If I enjoy some podcasts or blogs but don’t care about others, I don’t want updates about the stuff I don’t care about.  Having to sort through the posts I don’t care about to get to those that I do is both inconvenient and frustrating from a user experience standpoint.  Having choices is always better than being forced to take everying.

Now that my response to reader comments is over, I want to introduce a couple of new rules for proper Twitter etiquette.

1. Messages should not be split up over multiple Twitter posts.  There is a reason you only have 140 characters to post in.  Like I mentioned earlier, Twitter is a micro-blogging service.  If what you have to post about takes more than one post, it should be posted in a blog.
2. Twitter is not a chat room.  If you are having large conversations that involve multiple users, move it into an actual chat room.  There is a reason that IRC has been used for many years and is still very popular.  It is far better for a conversation than filling up peoples feed with @ messages about whatever you are discussing.
3. Posting the exact same message multiple times should be avoided at all costs.  If you are unsure that a message went through, check your feed before you post the same thing over again.  Nobody likes to be flooded with identical posts, especially if its something they don’t care about.

I have no plans to write a third blog post on this topic unless I see it necessary as I have other topics I would like to write about.  If I feel the need to respond to a comment, I will do so in the comments section.  Before you post a comment, keep in mind that my list is to improve the user experience of the twitter users, not attack your personal usage habits.

-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

With the explosion in popularity that Twitter has received, especially with the massive usage at SXSW, it has become very clear that some facets of twitter are beginning to annoy people. For the benefit of all twitter users, I have made a list of rules for Twitter usage.

1. Conversations that require more more than two @ replies should be moved over to a direct message. People not involved in the conversation don’t want to be spammed with conversation that should either take place at the water cooler or in private. I don’t care if you are trying to decide on a place for lunch with your twitter friend. If it doesn’t involve a large number of your twitter followers, don’t fill our twitter feed with your discussions.
2. If you are going to Twitter events, do it on an alternate account. For the sake of the sanity of those not at the event such as SXSW, we don’t need to be made jealous by your twittering of every person you run into or panel you listen to. Use a second account that your followers can follow if they want to know every detail about your event experience.
3. You should not twitter more than once every 15 min unless it is in reply to another twitter user. Certainly there are situations that make for an exception to this rule, but generally speaking, especially those people that are alerted via text message, get annoyed with constant twitters from a single person. It can also be very costly to those that get message via text message. I have stopped following several people for excessive twitter usage. You should never twitter more than 30 times in a day unless you want to lose followers.
4. Do not follow massive amounts of random Twitter users for no reason. I have had many random people follow me that only a handful of people follow, yet they follow thousands of people. You cannot keep up with all of those people and are generally seen as a spammer hoping people will follow them so they can promote their projects. As a personal rule, there is no way I will follow you if you follow more than a thousand people than follow you.
5. Automated Twitter messages should be done on a second account. I have noticed this problem primarily with Twitter users that use their account to announce things like when they are broadcasting on sites like Justin.tv. If you are going to enable such an automated Twitter messaging feature, use a second account for it so that if you have a bad connection and are constantly coming on and off, people don’t get spammed with messages they don’t want. Much like having a second account for Twittering about events, the same goes for automated Twitter messages.
6. Don’t post the same thing to multiple services. If you are going to have accounts for all the different services like Utterz and Pownce, post unique messages to each service. Don’t post the same thing to all of the services. Nobody wants to receive the same message multiple times because they follow you on multiple services. Decide what you want to post to what service and stick with it. Don’t post a single message to multiple services.
7. If you have many projects that you want to plug updates on Twitter, make dedicated accounts for each project. I admit to breaking this rule, but if you have a project that you post every change you make, or have multiple projects that have regular changes, they should have their own, dedicated accounts. It is always a good idea to keep business and personal things separate. Not only will this keep from annoying your current followers, but it will also allow people interested in your projects to stay up to date without getting messages about every aspect of your life.

If you want to keep your followers happy and grow in Twitter popularity, I highly recommend following these rules. These are the rules that I have come up with that seem to address the worst problems I find on Twitter. If you have more to add to the list or have an issue with my rules, please post your opinion in the comments. While I choose twitter, many of these rules apply for the other services such as Pownce or Utterz.

-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

Yesterday, I received a twitter message from Leo Laporte with the simple question, “Is radio dead?”  While I wouldn’t exactly call terrestrial radio dead as millions of people still listen to it, I do believe that it is dying a slow death.

With the increasing number of people flocking to satellite radio or the internet for music, fewer and fewer people are able to say that they continue to listen to traditional radio stations.   While many people still see traditional radio as an adequate way to listen to music, news, talk radio and more, it is quickly becoming a means of last resort to listen to audio broadcasts.

Terrestrial radio suffers from two major problems, commercials and content.  The single biggest complaint I have had about terrestrial radio for years has been the commercials.  With many stations, its not uncommon to hear 15 min of commercials in an hour, often in sizable chunks.  While many people aren’t as bothered by them on television and typically use the time for a bathroom break, make a sandwich, or place a phone call, such a format is not ideal for the listener on radio where most people are trapped in their car when listening to the radio with nothing to do but listen to the commercial or change the station.  This is much of the reason for the popularity of satellite radio.  For a monthly fee, you don’t have to worry about commercials and you can drive coast to coast while still listening to your favorite station.  While I have yet to make the transition to satellite radio, the large blocks of commercials is the primary reason that when I am commuting, I listen primarily to CDs or podcasts on my Zune.

The other problem is content.  With traditional radio stations targeting a broad audience, it is often hard to find a station that plays more music that you like than what you don’t.  With many stations playing music genres that span decades, it is often hard to find a station that plays more artists and songs that you like, than those that you don’t.  It is this which I believe has fueled the rise of internet radio, mp3 players and podcasts.

With internet radio, mp3 players and podcasts, music, talk radio, news and more has become about what the individual listener wants, rather than the shotgun blast of traditional radio which stations hope will please as many listeners as possible at a single time.  With internet radio services such as Pandora and Shoutcast, it has become very easy for listeners to still be provided the content that they love, but still find new music based upon their likes and dislikes.   For those on the go that still want access to the music they love, mp3 players are continually increasing in popularity.  With custom playlists and easy ways to purchase music, mp3 players have become the gadget of choice for those wanting their favorite tunes no matter where they are.  For those that prefer talk radio, podcasts have become the way they stay up to date with news and listen to the topics they love.  While not all podcasts are talking, podcasts allow people to search for specific content based on the topics they enjoy, such as technology, space, news, entertainment and much more.

Clearly, until radio finds a new advertising model and a better way to become more listener centric, it will continue to bleed listeners to other mediums.  While radio won’t die tomorrow, I hold little hope that it will be around in 10 or 15 years.

Over the years, I have noticed two types of computer users. Those with a neat, tidy and organized desktops and those whose desktops looks like a virtual tornado ripped through spewing files, folders and shortcuts from one corner of the screen to the other.  Unfortunately, most people don’t realize the value of an organized desktop.

While I can’t claim to be the most organized person in the world when it comes to the files on my computer, the one area I take pride in is my desktop.  I always keep as few items on my desktop as possible for two reasons.  I want to be able to find stuff quickly and easily as well as be able to see my constantly changing wallpaper in all its glory.

Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily true about other areas of my hard drive, including the My Documents folder.  I am working on tidying up the other areas of my hard drives, but when you have 2.5TB of space, it can take a while.

With the background out of the way, I have come to the topic of ‘What is on your desktop?’  I usually try to keep only shortcuts on my desktop to games and programs that I use on a regular basis, such as Audacity, Firefox and Dreamweaver.  It is rare that I ever keep files or folders on my desktop unless they are for temporary use.

What is on your desktop?  Over the years, I have worked on many computers and find that people keep a wide array of stuff on their desktop.  I have seen people with icons to launch their dail-up internet, office software, games, music and more.  While its common to find a desktop with My Computer and the Recycle Bin, it is rare to find any other two desktops that are exactly alike.  What has always surprised me is when I find desktops that still have the bloatware icons from when the PC was purchased, even though its several years old.  It is also common to find icons to other programs that piggyback on freeware applications and games which waste valuable desktop real estate.

I have always advocated keeping a tidy desktop as it allows for quicker, more productive use of a computer.  While there is little change in how fast the computer boots up unless you are running a really old machine, having fewer items on your desktop allows for you to find what you want quickly and will give you those precious seconds you may need to complete some work at the office or get your homework in before the deadline.

While you desktop may be a tribute to your latest vacation, it can also be one of the cheapest, quickest ways to decrease clutter and increase productivity.

If that isn’t enough to convince you to clean your desktop, ask yourself what your desktop says about you when you have company over or take your computer into the repair shop.

Until next time, keep those desktops tidy and your productivity up!

-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

The high-def movie war has dragged on for quite some time now as a stalemate until recently. With 6 of the 8 major movie studios backing Blu-ray and the others rumored to be jumping on the bandwagon, HD-DVD could die any day. While its almost certain HD-DVD will lose the war, it could still remain relevant in technology.

From the blogs I read and the people I talk to, most think that both Blu-ray and HD-DVD are useful primarily for movies and thats it. That is far from true. Much like DVD followed the CD has the primary way of transferring large amounts of data whether it be media files or software such as operating systems, office suites and more, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray will succeed the DVD. With HD-DVD about to lose the movie war, I feel it should pull out and focus on trying to become the successor of the DVD in the computer environment.

With HD-DVD being the cheaper of the two high density disks, it would be easier to take the spot from DVD. While HD-DVD may not have the capacity of Blu-ray, which is a big drawback, it could still fill the storage needs of the majority of people. With game developers and software developers pushing the dvd to its limit, HD-DVD would be a substantial storage increase allowing for more content for a small cost increase. It would give developers plenty of space to work with until the next generation of media becomes available.

Not only would such a move benefit companies, but it would also be a great consumer benefit as well. Even though external hard drives have become affordable for the masses, many still prefer to keep hard drive backups as well as media backups on disk. With a higher capacity disk, many will be able to decrease the size of their dvd and hard drive backup collections. One could reduce their home movie collection to a disk or two instead of many disks which take up valuable shelf space.

With Blu-ray about to win the high-def format war, to survive HD-DVD backers must pull out and focus on the computer market. Without a new strategy and market to target, the HD-DVD can live, but without a major change, it will become another dead format sooner rather than later.

-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray