Doing CMU

Windows 7 x64 RTM Installation: Abort, Retry, Fail?

Casey — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:32:47 +0000

In preperation for orientation, I wanted to show off the newest operating system from Microsoft, Windows 7, in all its RTM goodness. So, I grabbed my Macbook White, which was previously running Vista Ultimate 64, and installed Windows 7 Ultimate 64… or I tried to. Actually, I got a good way through the processes. It installed on the machine and it worked. Mostly. However, there was one nagging problem. The Aero transparencies wouldn’t stay transparent. I tried enabling transparencies, I tried the find and fix wizard (which did find the problem… and said it fixed it (only it didn’t), and I tried updating the graphics driver. Nada. So, back to the installation board.

I put the Windows 7 disk back in and had it run setup. It noted that my laptop was on batteries and it can’t install on batteries (ever notice how the magsafe Macbook power adapter keeps coming out?)… which was nice touch. I reattached the power and did the installation again. This time I had it move my old windows into windows.old. This time the installation ran perfectly and I didn’t have any problems. The install seemed to happen in record time and it only took a few minutes to install the required additional applications (Divx, AC3 decoder, Silverlight, Flash, Office 2007, GIMP, Windows Live, Gtalk, and Acrobat) I need. I do note how few additional applications you need besides Windows these days. I am still not certain whether I will be running an anti-virus on Windows 7. I don’t really want to… but if I need to. I am curious about what Microsoft anti-virus is going to look like. I can’t imagine paying for an anti-virus at this point.

Anyway, 2 hours from leaving work heading to the airport for orientation!

Packing, Crappy Weather, and Orientation

Casey — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:52:10 +0000

T-1 Day to orientation! Leaving Thursday at 5:30 out of Seattle! I am really looking forward to it (and to a little bit of vacation afterward). The books are read, mostly… now just for the packing. It looks like I am going to have to take a pair of jeans down. The weather is colder than Seattle is. In face, the high during the time of being down there is 66 degrees! Seattle is going to be beautiful and California is downright cold!

I am working on packing tonight… I always seem to overpack so I need to work on that. Especially when the airlines are so happy to charge you an arm and a leg for baggage.

In terms of orientation, I expect to make some entries while there.

Casey

Hotels/Planes/Cars/Books

Casey — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:06:04 +0000

I am now fully planned for San Fransisco for the startup. Leaving Thursday out of Seattle and staying at some 2 star hotel around Moffet field. I am looking forward to flying on Virgin America. Even though they use Airbus airplanes (ewww), they have very nicely equipped planes with excellent service. Also, their lighting is very cool. If you haven’t had a chance to fly them yet, check out their website.

I was originally planning on flying back on Sunday, but have decided to take an extra day in San Fransisco since I am down there anyway. I found a flight from SFO to SEA for $80, last minute! And priceline helped me with a cheap $60 room! So I will get about 36 hours in SF… I am looking forward to that. I need a little vacation.

In terms of cars, there is another student in my program who I will be sharing a car with. That should be cool and help to save a little bit o’ money. Particularly for a poor college student like me.

I am also happy to say I have gotten through “Here Comes Everybody.” For the life of me I can’t understand how this book has such high ratings on Amazon. This book may be cool for someone like my parents that have no idea what is out there, but for tech savvy people this is a simple restatement of our lives. His only real add to the discussion is on how by lowering transactional costs of assembling groups, groups can form that would never have done so in the past. This is partially powerful, although I am not sure that his idea is fully backed up in the real world. He uses examples like ‘flickr allows for people who took photographs at the same event to form a new social group.’ Which, while true, is also irrelevant. Its relatively easy to get people who are interested in the same things which are enjoyable to meet together to form groups and get work done. Its a far harder argument how this would work in the commercial marketplace. I would argue that very few people truly love what they do and most do it since they are paid. If my job didn’t pay me, personally, than I wouldn’t be here… this somewhat defeats the whole argument that self managing groups can be used in the commercial marketplace to create goods and services (Linux being the exception that proves the rule perhaps). Anyway, my idea of how this works might change… but right now that’s where I tentatively fall. I can say that this was the most boring book that I have read this year. It could have been a fascinating essay… but it was an overly long book.

I am now starting on Leadership and Self-Deception which seems much more approachable. Its written much like The Goal and is pretty interesting. I’m only just now getting into it, but I think this will be far better than “Here Comes Everybody.”

Two days till orientation!

The Kindle

Casey — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:37:12 +0000

For school, or at least so I tell myself, I picked up an Amazon Kindle. I tell myself that I can get a number of my school books on the Kindle and therefore can reduce the amount of stuff that I carry around at any given time. Right now I have purchased two of the 7 required books on the Kindle. The others are not currently available.

To be precise, I am actually on my second Kindle. The first one was replaced by Amazon because the screen washed out in the sun. Also, the screen wasn’t as dark as it should have been (although I didn’t know that until I saw the new Kindle and the defective one side-by-side).

the new Kindle

Overall the usability of the design is good. The battery lasts a very long time, I have had good luck with moving documents from my email to Kindle.

The downsides of the device are this… its a little slower than I would like both in changing pages and in moving between menus. Also, I am not quite sure how to hold it yet. I kind of want to hold it by pushing on the screen but I don’t know if that will hurt the screen or not. The other thing that drives me crazy is keyboard. Its a QWERTY keyboard (which is good), but the keys are placed inline vertically with the key above. This really screws with me because the keys aren’t where I would have otherwise expected them to be… this makes note taking a little harder than it could otherwise be.

In terms of readibility, the device is pretty good. I do wish that both the text were a little darker and I wish that I could invert the screen and read white text on a black background. But, its ok with where it is right now. I do wonder how a tablet pc from Apple would compete with this device though. If Apple does it right, it could directly compete. Although, supposedly the digital ink is much more readable than an active screen. I don’t know if I see that though.

Well, thats all on the Kindle for now. I’m sure that we will talk more about it in the future.

Preparing for Orientation

Casey — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:13:45 +0000

Hello all! I’m getting excited about starting this program. We have had our orientation so far and I am already in the process of getting to know some students. Right now I am trying to get my reading done for orientation.

We are supposed to read:

At this point I have gotten through most of Here Comes Everybody. Personally, this book is horrible to get through. It has this ability to state the obvious in the most longwinded way. It does have some good points, but I think that this book may be better presented as a long essay.

In order to both fully emerse myself in this experience and to try to save my back I have picked up an Amazon Kindle. So far two of my 7 books are available on Kindle but I am hoping that this will get better over time. I’ll problably write another blog entry that is specific to my Kindle experience.

In terms of Orientation, I have currently picked up my airfare but I still need to find a place to stay. I am hoping that another student will be willing to split a room. I was going to do this with another student in my program, but his wife decided to come along. We might still share a car… I’m still hoping to find someone.

Well, thats all for now. Looking forward to orientation!

Casey

Who am I?

Casey — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:47:30 +0000

My name is Casey. I am a new student at Carnegie Mellon University pursing a Masters in Software Management. This will be my journal of the next two years experience. I hope that this will be useful to some. I’m excited!