the virtual earth team just announced that virtual earth 5 api has been released! this looks like a pretty significant upgrade from what i can tell. i already switched an app i'm working on to using it and a lot of existing code didn't work. simple adding of pushpins has changed, etc. but with change comes GREAT customization -- well done team!
take a look and start using it!!!
i was walking in our local mall the other day and noticed that they have completely done away with the standard poster advertising and hired a company called "eye" to install huge plasma displays and rotate advertising on them -- it is much more eye-catching (as the ads are dynamic) and much more appealing. i walked around and saw one the other day:
looking closer here you go:
nice. well, at least they are running windows :-)
one of the things that i think we all hate with pc's purchased oem (original equipment manufacturer - dell, hp, etc.) is that they come pre-installed with about 8,038 programs that a) you didn't ask for and b) likely don't need. in recent conversation sharing with some friends who also regularly play nick burns, i heard a story of a brand new vista machine (which has really good built-in firewall/spyware protection) that also came with mcafee protection suite. essentially, every internet request was going through two layers of firewall...yikes. every computer i've purchase has had step 1 being "fdisk" or some other assembly code wiping out the blocks! most of the time, my family tech support calls are due to some piece of crap software that has been pre-installed and never used, but starts up on boot (have you ever seen the systray of a new computer...holy smokes).
well, via stan spotts, i have now read about the pc decrapifier. from their site:
Your brand spanking new PC boots up only to greet you with a plethora of pop up advertisements pestering you to pay for anti-virus software or sign up for a music service. Your desktop is littered with website links for 'special offers.' The system tray is already full of programs that continuously use your internet connection to make sure that you're 'up to date.' ... The PC Decrapifier will detect the 'crap' on your system, you choose what to uninstall, then sit back and let the PC Decrapifier work its magic.
bravo pc-decrapfier, bravo.
hey all, quick update here. i've been starting to record some media (audio/video interviews) and have set up some feeds for your podcasting delight. next week especially i'll be uploading a few from MIX07 with some great updates that microsoft will be announcing.
so, here's an explanation of them (they are on the left and as well as alternate links in the site meta data):
right now there is only one video file uploaded (hey, i just said i'm getting started) from our mobility developer lab in las vegas a few weeks ago. we'll have more next week as well!
well, texting has officially arrived (if it hadn't before)...when LG is hosting the 'national texting championship' i'm curious where we've gone!
even last night i saw a commercial (albeit funny) where a mom and a young girl have a conversation about her texting phone bill...the girl doesn't speak, but rather speaks in text codes to her mom. anyhow, i just caught this tidbit on msnbc.
girl wins texting championship by typing supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' in 15 seconds. um, congrats? i wonder if that will improve SAT scores?