History Got You Down?

Are you up at 9, 10, 11 at night trying to cram for that giant History exam in the morning? Do you just not understand paragraph analysis, essay writing? What about those 3000 definitions that you need to have memorized?

Well fear not! Introducing my revolutionary History Notes! They will help you understand the information you need... and you'll ace* the exam!

For only $60, you can get the best second-hand notes on the planet! Just think about it - that's only $2 per 1% on your Term 1 report card! What a value!

Order today and you can get a special 50% off discount! Yes that's right, for only $1 per 1% you can get the best History notes available!

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*No actual notes are given. This is a complete scam. But you don't read this anyways, right?

Office Compatibility Pack

NOTE: If you are running Microsoft Office versions 2000, 2002 (also known as XP), or 2003 (the one the schools are using), please please please download and install the compatibility pack so that you can read .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files.

You do not need genuine software (good if you creatively acquired the program). Just download it - files are much smaller and easier to transfer, it brings you up to date, and it's free.

Get it here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/

Jingleheimer Junction

This is the best sketch that SNL has ever made. Hands down. 09/26/98.

Best Video. Ever.

Just.. the best video ever.

Windows 7

Originally codenamed "Vienna," Windows 7 is known as being the operating system succeeding Vista. Although the idea of 7 has been forming since 2003, actual development began after Vista became golden (November, 2006)

Along with many other Connect members, I have had the privilege of testing 7 since its Milestone 1 (M1) code drop (6.1.6519) - the first released "build" of the operating system - last January. Back then it was a slightly-modified version of Vista (same taskbar, same desktop, same EVERYTHING).

Around the M3 code drop (released around the time school began), 7 finally shipped with a new UI - new taskbar (which is great, by the way), new virtual folders that were originally planned for Vista but removed because of deadlines, and the finalized MinWin kernel which, if you don't know what it is now, you probably will never find out. It's essentially the components of the OS, and it took a looooong time to develop.

I have been testing a build of 7 known as 7000.081212-1400 since about Christmas, and to my interest this same build has been released to the public under the Customer Preview Program (CPP). You may recall that this was done before with Windows Vista in the past (build 5384, "Beta 2"). This means that any customer can upgrade their version of Windows to a beta build of 7.

Although an interesting prospect, there are many things for you to read over before jumping into the beta.

1. Do I have a spare computer to install this on?
2. Am I willing to put up with minor crashes? major ones?
3. Will I upgrade to 7 when the beta build has expired?

It is important to note that one should NEVER install beta software on a main computer, and the computer which it will be installed on should be backed up first. Crashes are expected by any pre- and newly-released software, so be prepared if you decide to upgrade.

The biggest issue at hand, however, is the expiry time set for the beta build. All (activated) copies of 7 will expire on August 1, 2009 thus forcing users to purchase the retail software. Before downloading and installing this software, ask yourself this: are you sure you're going to buy 7?

If these three issues don't alarm you, then I highly recommend downloading the CPP build of 7. It's a great OS - much better than Vista! The new taskbar is so simple to use, and virtual folders almalgamate all related content so that it can be located.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR BUILD 7000

First of all, you need a DVD-R/W writer to burn the disk image. If you don't have one of these, stop here.

Those of you familiar with Vista know about 'Aero,' the transparent user experience offered on premium notebook and desktop computers with the necessary graphics cards. Windows 7 offers a similar user experience that many users will enjoy.

If you're running Vista Premium and up and have transparency enabled, chances are it'll work in 7.

But if you're running either Vista Basic or XP Professional and below I suggest running the Vista Upgrade Advisor and checking for Aero compatibility. If all works as intendended and you get a green checkmark, you're set and 7 will work for you.

It's important to note that transparency, although a nice add-on, is not required to run 7. I recommend checking to see if your computer can display it, however - the whole experience is much more pleasant this way.

Required 1GB memory, but I recommend you having at least 2GB for adequate and 4GB for maximum performance. Yes I know that most computers don't have 4GB of memory, but if you can I highly recommend upgrading.

Installing 7 does not mean that you have to get rid of your old OS. During install, you are given the option of creating a dual-boot system, capable of running 7 and your previous OS. You can also wipe your HDD clean (format) and install 7 from scratch - that works too.

Check to see if you have any devices that require drivers which you can download before installing. For example, on my HP Laptop there are several "Quick Launch" hardware buttons built into the system which did not work after the installation of 7. Luckily a quick check on HP's site allowed me to find the right files.

If you read down to here and still want to try out Windows 7, you can get the beta here. (Use IE 7+ (but not 8 Beta) - Chrome doesn't work for sure and I'm not sure if Firefox 3 does, either)

Make sure you read all the stuff on the site, and get ready for a long download!