Entries for brian.shapiro

You can pin files as icons on the Win7 taskbar [You can pin files as icons on the Win7 taskbar]

brian.shapiro — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:34:08 GMT

You just have to create a shortcut where the target is the app plus the name of the file--like you would open the file from the command line.

For instance, "notepad.exe C:\test.txt".

Windows 7 will create a new taskbar item for every shortcut with a unique target address.

For most of the shortcuts on the Start Menu, all you need to do is create a copy and modify the target property on the copy. For some reason you can't do this for the shortcuts in the Accessories folder. I'm not exactly sure why, but all you need to do is create a new shortcut.

in reply to You can pin files as icons on the Win7 taskbar

[css] position:fixed done cross-browser [[css] position:fixed done cross-browser]

brian.shapiro — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:46:29 GMT

I'm working on a page where I want the fixed positioning of an element to be relative to the element that contains it, so where I'm not specifying the top, left, bottom, or right. The reason I want to do this is because the containing element is a set area where the overflow is hidden, and I need this element to violate the overflow:hidden rule and float on top of everything.

The problem I'm running into is that on some browsers (Firefox, IE6, Opera) the fixed element is positioned exactly where the element would begin if it were not fixed, and on other browsers (Chrome, Safari, IE8), the fixed element seems to be given a margin on the top (but not on the left).

I've tried different things to get it so its positioned the same on every browser, but I'm finding I'm not able to do it. Does anybody know about the issue I'm running into, and what I should be looking at?

in reply to [css] position:fixed done cross-browser

DeathSpank [DeathSpank]

brian.shapiro — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:44:50 GMT

Ron Gilbert, who created the original Monkey Island games is releasing a new game, DeathSpank:

http://www.deathspank.com/

Its an over-the-top parody of games like Diablo. Diablo is becoming sillier and sillier with each new release anyway, to the point that Diablo 3 seems like a self-parody. You just roam around masses of monsters and smash them in 12 different ways to watch gore and blood spill out.

in reply to DeathSpank

Microsoft CEO laughs off Google OS challenge [Microsoft CEO laughs off Google OS challenge]

brian.shapiro — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:52:08 GMT

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31909772/ns/tech_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

SEATTLE—

Microsoft Corp.'s chief executive attempted to laugh off the challenge of Google Inc.'s planned computer operating system on Tuesday, conceding only that it was "interesting."

"I will be respectful," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said to laughs from the audience at a conference for the company's technology partners in New Orleans, which was broadcast over the Internet.

"Who knows what this thing is? To me, the Chrome OS thing is highly interesting," said Ballmer, choosing his words carefully and drawing more amusement from the largely pro-Microsoft crowd.

"It won't happen for a year and a half and they already announced an operating system," he added, referring to Google's Android system for smartphones.

Last week Google said it was planning a computer operating system based on its Chrome browser, aiming directly at the core business for Microsoft, the world's largest software company, whose Windows operating systems are used on more than 90 percent of personal computers.

Google's plan, based on the theory that access to the Internet is now the most important feature of any computing device, is separate from its Android system already available for smartphones and soon for small PCs.

"I don't know if they can't make up their mind or what the problem is over there, but the last time I checked, you don't need two client operating systems," said Ballmer. "It's good to have one."

in reply to Microsoft CEO laughs off Google OS challenge

office 2010 tech preview; invitation code problems. [office 2010 tech preview; invitation code problems.]

brian.shapiro — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:23:49 GMT

When I clicked on the URL to accept the invite I recieved this message:

The invitation code you entered is invalid, assigned to another person, or else the program is no longer accepting invitations.

The invite was sent to my gmail address instead of my live.com address so I registered a Connect account with my gmail address and I get the same message.

in reply to office 2010 tech preview; invitation code problems.

NY Post: FEAR GRIPS GOOGLE [NY Post: FEAR GRIPS GOOGLE]

brian.shapiro — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:06:17 GMT

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06142009/business/fear_grips_google_174235.htm

FEAR GRIPS GOOGLE

SOURCES: SERGEY ORDERS BING STUDY

By JAMES DORAN

Last updated: 11:31 am
June 14, 2009
Posted: 3:57 am
June 14, 2009

You'd think nothing would get under the skin of search giant Google.

But co-founder Sergey Brin is so rattled by the launch of Microsoft's rival search engine that he has assembled a team of top engineers to work on urgent upgrades to his Web service, The Post has learned.

Brin, according to sources inside the tech behemoth, is himself leading the team of search-engine specialists in an effort to determine how Bing's crucial search algorithm differs from that used by the company he founded in 1998 with Stanford University classmate Larry Page.

"New search engines have come and gone in the past 10 years, but Bing seems to be of particular interest to Sergey," said one insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The move by Brin is unusual, as it is rare these days for the Google founders to have such hands-on involvement in day-to-day operations at the company, the source added.

A spokesman for Google declined to comment about Brin's interest in Bing but said: "We always have a team working on improving search." He added: "We dedicate more time and energy to search than anything else in our company. Our algorithm is constantly evolving."

Microsoft launched Bing two weeks ago with a massive marketing budget that sources say ranged between $80 million and $100 million.

The software company has struggled to survive in the Internet-search business, with its former MSN search engine managing to grab only 8 percent of the lucrative search market share -- far behind Google's 60 percent and Yahoo!'s 20 percent share.

In fact, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, in an effort to close the gap on Google, last year made an offer to buy Yahoo! That offer was rejected. More recently, pre-Bing, there had been talk of Microsoft being interested in some sort of deal or partnership with Yahoo! search.

Those efforts have cooled.

Bing has been warmly greeted by analysts, critics and users alike who seem to largely welcome Microsoft's new approach to the everyday business of searching the Internet. Early statistics show Bing increasing Microsoft's market share by two percentage points, to about 11 percent -- but that the gains largely didn't come from Google or Yahoo!

Microsoft prefers not to use the term "search engine," however, choosing instead to describe Bing as a "decision engine."

While Bing is presented differently from Google -- with a colorful home page and easy-to-navigate search categories compared with Google's stark white page and search box -- there is little difference between the two when it comes to searching for simple terms.

A spokeswoman for Microsoft said, however, that Bing is currently focused on improving search results in four main categories: shopping, travel, health and local searches.

Scott Kessler, senior equity research analyst at Standard & Poor's, and a Google specialist, said that Bing has a lot going for it but he does not expect it to knock Google from its No. 1 perch.

"In a recent survey we found that the predominant features that dictate how people search the Internet are ease of use and force of habit. Google has been so dominant for so long that it will be tough for anyone to take significant market share away from them."

in reply to NY Post: FEAR GRIPS GOOGLE

jamie did you see this [jamie did you see this]

brian.shapiro — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:40:08 GMT

Moving up in Folder hierarchy
Unlike in beta, the parent folder's button will appear in the address bar at all times and therefore going ‘up' will always be a single click away in a predictable location in RC.
http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/03/13/windows-7-few-more-changes-from-beta-to-rc

in reply to jamie did you see this

Social Desktop [Social Desktop]

brian.shapiro — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:31:12 GMT

http://seekingalpha.com/article/122120-microsoft-research-a-look-at-the-intriguing-social-desktop-prototype?source=yahoo

Microsoft Research: A Look at the Intriguing Social Desktop Prototype By Robin Wauters

Late last week, Microsoft Research shared a couple of things about Social Desktop, a prototype of which they are debuting at TechFest 2009 in a couple of days (along with dozens of other things). From the looks of it, this will be a much talked about product even if it stays in proof-of-concept phase for now...

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/SocialDesktop/

Social Desktop embeds the "web oriented" model for sharing in the center of the desktop experience, demonstrating new ways of integrating the desktop and the web...

in reply to Social Desktop

Windows 7, SetWindowPos, and AnimateWindow [Windows 7, SetWindowPos, and AnimateWindow]

brian.shapiro — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:35:09 GMT

I have a project where I'm using SetWindowPos to show a frameless window. In Windows Vista, when the window would load, there would be no window opening animation, but now that I'm running the project in Windows 7 the animation is there.

I'm now trying to use AnimateWindow to change the opening animation so that the length is 0. But I'm having trouble accomplishing anything with AnimateWindow except changing the behavior to hiding the window instead of showing it.

Is there anyone who can help?

in reply to Windows 7, SetWindowPos, and AnimateWindow

The problem with keyboard shortcuts [The problem with keyboard shortcuts]

brian.shapiro — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:44:45 GMT

most people won't realize that they're there..

In Windows 7,

Shift-click on a taskbar item opens up a new instance.

Ctrl-click switches between the open windows associated with an application.

in reply to The problem with keyboard shortcuts

Uprade install problem [Uprade install problem]

brian.shapiro — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:32:19 GMT

I made a post about this over at TechNet last night, but while I'm waiting patiently for some answer there, I'm hoping someone here might be able to help.

My computer overheated and shut down during an upgrade install, so the installation process canceled and completed a rollback to Vista. The problem was then that, whenever I tried to do another install and it came to the point where my computer restarts, the program would treat it as if it had the same interruption, and proceeds to the rollback process, not allowing me to complete the installation.

I then deleted the temporary installation folders to see if that made a difference, and the only difference is that the error comes up before the computer restarts instead of after.

So I'm trying to find out what the problem is and how I fix it

in reply to Uprade install problem

What happens when touch screens are fetishized [What happens when touch screens are fetishized]

brian.shapiro — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:16:55 GMT

Everything else is designed around them...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1105777/Introducing-iGlove-Gadget-that-allows-users-operate-touch-phones-cold-weather.html

Introducing the iGlove: Gadget that that allows users to operate touch phones in cold weather

Apple have submitted designs for a glove designed to help users operate their multi-touch devices more efficiently in cold weather conditions.

The iGlove, according to Apple, is a 'high tactility glove system' two-layer system.

The two layers - a thick, woollen outer and thin internal conductive layer, have been designed to replicate the human finger which can conduct electricity.

The fingertip design features 'apertures' where users can place their fingers and touch any part of the screen while still enjoying protection by the inner layer.

As the application states: 'When users, in cold weather, wear thick or bulky gloves... the loss of tactile feedback to the user may prevent the user from properly operating the electronic device, and may lead to frustration.

'Alternatively, if the user has to remove his gloves... the user's hand may become cold and uncomfortable, which may also lead to user frustration.'

The plans came after iPhone users in Canada and northern parts of the U.S. complained that their phones didn't work well when they wore normal gloves.

in reply to What happens when touch screens are fetishized

Thumbtack [Thumbtack]

brian.shapiro — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:40:08 GMT

http://livelabs.com/thumbtack/

I'm wondering how many of you have tried this Project from Live Labs.

in reply to Thumbtack

Can't do Func ? [Can't do Func ?]

brian.shapiro — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:33:56 GMT

You can't do Func<out char, int> ?

Is there a correct syntax for representing a function that takes a reference as a parameter, or is this not allowed?

in reply to Can't do Func ?

{WPF} Horizontally arranged groups? [{WPF} Horizontally arranged groups?]

brian.shapiro — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:22:53 GMT

I'm having a little trouble figuring out how to make grouping work properly in a ListBox where the ItemsHost has Horizontal orientation. It seems the GridItems are always arranged in a Vertical stack. Is it possible to change that?

in reply to {WPF} Horizontally arranged groups?

The nice thing about Firefox... [The nice thing about Firefox...]

brian.shapiro — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:36:26 GMT

It depends on people making the extensions you want of course...

in reply to The nice thing about Firefox...

US shuts down 'scareware' sellers [US shuts down 'scareware' sellers]

brian.shapiro — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:38:23 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7779223.stm

US shuts down 'scareware' sellers

The US government has moved to shut down sellers of fake security software.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has won a restraining order that stops several sellers of "scareware" from continuing to trade.

Millions of people are thought to have been caught out by the software which, once installed, issues false alerts about viruses and illegal porn.
The FTC is pursuing further legal action to win a permanent ban on those peddling the scareware.

. . .

in reply to US shuts down 'scareware' sellers

First Vietnamese Congressman [First Vietnamese Congressman]

brian.shapiro — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:46:00 GMT

Unofficial results show that Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao has ousted Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., to become the first Vietnamese American in Congress.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28086325/

in reply to First Vietnamese Congressman

MSNBC: Microsoft hoping to make the Zune... cool? [MSNBC: Microsoft hoping to make the Zune... cool?]

brian.shapiro — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:11:59 GMT

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27774454/page/2/

Zune dancing to a different drum machine

Microsoft’s distant also-ran to iPod becoming the butt of fewer jokes

SEATTLE - A video for the title track on hip-hop veteran Common's forthcoming album, "Universal Mind Control," begins with a digital music player pulsing to the beat. The viewer is pulled through the screen into the gadget's guts, where the cool, collected rapper lets loose an easy stream of lyrics.

It takes hitting rewind a few times to notice that the music player isn't one of Apple's slim new iPods. It's a Zune, and it's made by Microsoft Corp.

Since it first landed two years ago, the Zune has been the butt of many jokes, like how its wireless music sharing feature would be great, if only a second person would buy one. But while Apple Inc. has counted on the sex appeal of its ever-thinner devices to keep consumers turned on, the Zune team has been beefing up its software and courting artists like Common, a dashing MC with mainstream appeal who might just help make Zune — dare we say it? — cool.

. . .

In an interview, Common described Zune as "progressive, fresh, innovative," a far cry from critics' refrain that it's an also-ran in a race iPod has already won. When he's pressed to explain, it becomes clear that Common is hooked less on the device than the way the Zune's software makes connections between artists, turning up new sounds for him to explore.

. . .

In the TV ad, Zune pairs Common with one of his biggest influences, Afrika Bambaataa. The two men trade lines about music and personal style from their places in a moving collage much like the "mixview" screen.

. . .

Common, a brand-savvy rapper and actor willing to team up with big companies — he promoted Gap clothing in a 2006 holiday commercial — is an apt poster child for Zune, because he appeals to hip-hop fans but also plays well in the mainstream. A second TV spot features Tennessee rockers Kings of Leon talking to The Band's Robbie Robertson, a nod the college-age indie music crowd. Online, Zune ads feature lesser-known artists. In keeping with the theme of the current campaign, discovering new music through connections, Zune is using Web ads to promote Mr. Hudson and The Stills, groups suggested by Common and Kings of Leon.

Playing to its strength among Hispanic consumers, Microsoft in September made an exclusive deal to sell digitally remastered albums by some of Fania Records' biggest names, including the Fania All-Stars and Celia Cruz. The company also started working recently with Univision, which now devotes a section of its Web site to promoting Zune's Latin music collection.

In contrast, Apple's marketing tends to be more about the iPod itself, pairing catchy anthems with images of the iPod, not artists. Apple had no comment.

. . .

in reply to MSNBC: Microsoft hoping to make the Zune... cool?

Why not make a Font Library? [Why not make a Font Library?]

brian.shapiro — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:19:19 GMT

Fonts can take up a large amount of disk space, so it would be nice to keep them on an external disk or memory stick, just like photos or documents. That would also allow you to move fonts between two different computers by simply inserting the memory stick, skipping an install process.

This would also allow an administrator of a public computer to set up their font library so that it includes all fonts that are stored on a memory stick, so that users can bring their own fonts. In that scenario, if some student needs to use a computer at a lab to his homework, he doesn't have to rely on using the fonts the administrator chose to install.

in reply to Why not make a Font Library?

API for Explorer metadata [API for Explorer metadata]

brian.shapiro — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:01:44 GMT

Is there any API to retrieve the document properties metadata from Windows Explorer?

Or, if I want that information in my application, do I have to retrieve it all manually---by hardcoding in formats like EXIF, by reading ADS, and reading information by OLE? It looks like that's what I have to do.

in reply to API for Explorer metadata

NY Times: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Tolerate Vista [NY Times: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Tolerate Vista]

brian.shapiro — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:04:49 GMT

How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Tolerate Vista

By STEPHEN WILLIAMS
Published: October 8, 2008

AFTER nearly two years, I’m really tired of reading about other people’s problems with Microsoft’s Vista operating system.

I mean, I’ve got my own problems. Teenagers living in my house and eating my food, a wife training to be an oral surgeon routinely working 36-hour shifts, a van that devours gas.

Oh, and then there’s Vista.

Consumers have had issues with Vista since its release in January 2007, although the latest figures indicate that most holdouts have accepted, if not embraced, the system. Despite Apple’s snarky ad campaigns promoting its Macs, more than 140 million copies of Vista have been sold; Windows remains a money magnet for Microsoft, accounting for more than a quarter of the company’s $60.4 billion in annual revenue.

Taming Vista on my Intel chip-equipped Sony Vaio laptop became, after a while, a measure of maintaining patience, never mind sanity. Sure, there was a day recently when I could’ve thrown the thing out of the window and into the backyard, and then made tracks to the Mac Pro desktop in the basement.

Instead, I turned on a football game. And there was Jerry Seinfeld helping Bill Gates try on shoes in an ad for Vista — I think.

Whatever that was about, the truth is, Vista doesn’t have to be as bad as the competing Apple ads say it is. Here are some ways to make your Vista experience more livable, and perhaps even more lovable.

Say Farewell to the U.A.C.

...

Add Memory

...

Give Vista a Boost

...

Use Only What You Need

...

Lose Even More

...

Make Vista Uglier

...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/technology/personaltech/09basics.html

in reply to NY Times: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Tolerate Vista

Dept. Of Justice May Challenge GOOGLE Advertising [Dept. Of Justice May Challenge GOOGLE Advertising]

brian.shapiro — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:37:12 GMT

Top Lawyer Is Selected
As U.S. Mulls Google Suit
By JOHN R. WILKE
September 9, 2008

Washington -- The Justice Department has quietly hired one of the nation's best-known litigators, former Walt Disney Co. vice chairman Sanford Litvack, for a possible antitrust challenge to Google Inc.'s growing power in advertising.

Mr. Litvack's hiring is the strongest signal yet that the U.S. is preparing to take court action against Google and its search-advertising deal with Yahoo Inc. The two companies combined would account for more than 80% of U.S. online-search ads.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122091328430212195.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news

in reply to Dept. Of Justice May Challenge GOOGLE Advertising

Hello W3bbo -- love, giant panda cub [Hello W3bbo -- love, giant panda cub]

brian.shapiro — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:04:34 GMT

A giant panda cub is seen in an incubator in Chengdu, China, where researchers ultimately aim to reintroduce giant pandas into the wild.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7604152.stm

in reply to Hello W3bbo -- love, giant panda cub

Newsweek: How Apple Turned into Microsoft [Newsweek: How Apple Turned into Microsoft]

brian.shapiro — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:23:37 GMT

One Bad Apple

Apple is looking like what Microsoft was 10 years ago—a Bigfoot that squeezes smaller competitors.
Published Sep 6, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Sep 15, 2008

A former lieutenant of Steve Jobs's once told me something surprising about his ex-boss. "Steve is a monopolist at heart," he said. "He's just like Bill Gates. He just hasn't been as successful." Well, Jobs is getting there. This summer, Apple's market capitalization surged past Google's, making it the financial king of Silicon Valley. True, Apple still holds only 11 percent of the U.S. consumer PC market, according to researcher NPD, but its influence is far greater than that market share suggests. The iconic iPod dominates its market, and the iTunes music store has sold more than 5 billion songs, making it the No. 1 music retailer in America, ahead of Wal-Mart, according to IDC. Apple's iPhone is the No. 3 smart phone in the United States, according to NPD.

. . .
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157545/page/1

in reply to Newsweek: How Apple Turned into Microsoft