Windows 10 Technical Preview

It Helps to Have the Following

• MSDN Subscription with a Microsoft user name and password.
• A network connection
• A cell phone so you can receive a text message. In the installation process, they will text you a 6-digit number, which you must then provide to the install program.

Also please note the following

• This is a free Technical Evaluation Version, so there is no Activation Key to type in.
• It is recommended to use the SHA-1 checksum after you download to verify the integrity of the download. That's almost 4 million bytes going over the network and the more cautious among you may want to generate an SHA-1 key off your newly-downloaded file and compare it to the one Microsoft provides. There is a free command-line utility you can get from Microsoft called fciv.exe.

The command line for fciv might look like this:

fciv -sha1 -add en_windows_10_technical_preview_x64_dvd_5552500.iso

It will produce a number like this:

eb75a3d3c0f621f175b75dc65db036d0e00eac43

The Microsoft number is all upper-case, so you might want to use your text editor to convert the output from fciv to upper-case as well. It makes it a lot easier to compare them visually. Of course, if you were a real power user you could use Search and Ignore Case.

Download

Go to the MSDN web site and download the right version. I avoided the Check Build/Debug version because that version is for developers writing device drivers and other super-programmers. I'm just a run-of-the-mill keyboard jockey so I chose the English 64-Bit version. The file looks like this:

en_windows_technical_preview_9879_x64_dvd_5929243.iso

It is 3.86 GB in size. Downloading and burning takes a while

An ISO is easy to burn. I used the free ISOtoUSB utility to create a boot-able flash drive. I would prefer just using Roxio to burn a DVD. It is easier (and faster) but I ran out of DVDs and was too lazy to run out to Staples. Anyway, my BIOS lets me boot from the flash drive and the install program ran.

In case you're interested, I have an ancient beige tower case with an ASUS P7P55D-E, the old Clarkdale Chipset, the I5-650 c.p.u. and 16 GB DDR3 Memory. It can handle 6 SATA devices. I have 4 used up, 2 hard drives a DVD drive, and a Blu-Ray drive. One hard disk has Windows 7 Ultimate, the other has Windows Server 2008 R2. I select the drive I want to boot from in the BIOS setup screen.

Just to be on the safe side, I disabled my Windows 7 drive in the BIOS. For some reason having to do with fatigue and confusion, my Windows Server 2008 R2 hard disk remained enabled.

I installed an old 250 GB 3½-in drive I had, thus taking up the 5th SATA port, and booted from the flash drive. And away we go, as Jackie Gleason used to say...

My compliments to the design team for this design. I like simple, minimalist design. It says "We don't have to 'wow' you now, you'll get plenty of 'wow' later".

Simple progress screen. I felt the installation went fast.

Identify Verification

Because you already have a Microsoft account your phone number is probably listed in your profile. To verify your identity they will text you a number and you have to enter it:

This happens right in the middle of the installation process.There are other ways to verify

App Store and OneDrive

Like with Windows 8, the App Store and OneDrive cloud are a intergral parts of the OS.

Vocabulary

fissiparous: inclined to cause or undergo division into separate parts or groups

Isaiah

The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; - Isaiah 52

Vocabulary

stentorian

loud and powerful.

Vocabulary

solipsism

The view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist

quotidian

Everyday

Netflix Binge-Watch

July 18-21 2014

• You're Gonna Miss Me
• Who is Harry Nilsson?
• Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview
• Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster - Steroid use
• Room 237 - about Kubrick's The Shining
• Cave of Forgotten Dreams
• Milius - John Milius
• Mind of a Rampage Killer - Columbine, Newton, etc.
• Decoding Neanderthals - DNA analysis
• For the Love of Movies - about film critics
• Side By Side - digital filmmaking
• Hating Breitbart
• Radio Unnameable - WBAI talk host Bob Fass
• Evocateur - Morton Downey Jr.
• I, Divine
• Tesla, master of lightning
• Levon Helm bio
• Beware Mr. Baker - Ginger Baker bio
• TV Series Final 24
• Best Worst Movie
• I Think We're Alone Now 2008 documentary about two stalkers of the pop star named "Tiffany"
• Dad's in Heaven with Nixon (personal favorite!)
• OC87

Vernon Scannell (1922-2007)

Born John Vernon Bain in 1922.

Weekly Standard

Fugitive Feline

The Thomas Saga Continues

After a few hot humid days dominated by thunderstorms relief finally arrived today (Saturday) in the form of cool, dry weather. Even the mosquitoes found it too cool, which made for pleasant lounging "out back" at Heritage Pointe. Heritage Pointe is shaped like an "L" and the back corner of the "L" has a stairwell. At the bottom of the stairwell lies the laundry room, the building superintendent's apartment, and a back door that gives access to a small grassy area with a patio and a few lawn chairs. No apartments face this area, and the thick woods are only about 20 feet away, giving the area a feeling of privacy and quiet. The mosquitoes are bad, though, but a citron candle helps somewhat. I also wear long pants and dark long-sleeved shirts so I've been spared so far. This little corner of the world has become Thomas' territory. His dutiful "masters" (Beth and Myself) bring him food and water every day, along with the occasional grooming brush.

During the storms there was some serious thunder, lightning, heavy rainfall (2 to 3 inches), wind, and falling tree limbs, and this lasted for two days. On top of all that, Friday was the 4th of July and the rain let up just around sunset, which allowed the fireworks to begin. At around 9:00 I went out back to feed Thomas. He trotted out of the woods as if nothing was wrong, and with distant explosions and whizzers going off all around, he calmly ate his food, drank his water, and cleaned himself. I tried to carry him inside but he went nuts at the door, so I just dropped him and let him go. As the great British Poet Sting once wrote, "If you love someone, set them free." That was Friday night.

As I mentioned at the top of this post, Saturday was dry and cool; absolutely perfect weather. For me, that meant sleeping all day and getting up in the evening. It was very comfortable out back, but today's Thomas Feeding took a few dramatic turns.

I set up a bowl of cat food and some water near my chair and Thomas emerged from the woods and came right up to me and started to feed. I then noticed a scruffy-looking orange cat tailing Thomas. He parked himself just outside the edge of the woods and watched us. I took some food and walked over, but he dashed. I left the food for him and went back to my chair and waited. After less than a minute, there was Orange, chowing down. But wait! What's this? A Red Fox comes along, trotting on the mowed lawn right at the edge of the woods. Orange dashes back into the woods, the Fox sniffs around where Orange was just eating, and then continues to trot along less than 20 feet away from where I was sitting. Thomas was a few feet from my chair; he flattened down, remained absolutely motionless, and stared at the Fox. I realized that Thomas has a good coat for camouflage, especially at night. He seems to know how to keep the white part of his fur hidden.

The Fox glanced over at me and ignored me. I don't know if he saw Thomas or not, as he gave no indication. He circled around us and walked right into the middle of the lawn about 40 feet from us, sniffed around, and then continued along the edge of the woods and disappeared behind the maintenance barn.

I fear that Thomas might meet his demise by the jaws of this Fox someday or perhaps by some of the other larger predators which must surely roam those woods. The Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park and the Norrie Point DEC Education Center comprise a large area located right next to the Hudson River Estuarine area, an area rich in creatures lower on the food chain than foxes, coyotes, wild dogs, and even wolves.

Cat lovers may hate me for saying this, but I would rather Thomas live the life he prefers and face a possible early demise than have him cooped up in a tiny apartment. At any rate, if he survives until the first frost, I will think about snagging him and taking him back to his cell block for the winter. I draw the line on Winter; wether Thomas likes it or not he is coming inside.

Regardless of my plans or of Thomas' desire for freedom, there does exist the possibility that the management of Heritage Pointe will demand something be done about a stray cat on their property, especially one owned by a tenant who signed a lease and, by doing so so, explicitly agreed to abide by the rules of the facility, one of which is Pets are not permitted to run loose.

I fear that more drama, feline, vulpine, and human, is in the future

Film: The Fastest Guitar Alive

The Fastest Guitar Alive will be of interest to aficionados of 60’s pop culture. If you are not sure you belong to this group, the following is a quick, reliable test. If you are amused by the fact that the minor character “1st Expressman” is played by Sam the Sham, then this film might be a pleasant diversion for 87 minutes of your life. Might be; you can take that as a lukewarm recommendation. It’s lighthearted fare with some competent Roy Orbison songs, none of them masterpieces but none of them bad. The title does not imply that Roy plays like Joe Satriani; the acoustic guitar he carries throughout the film has been modified so that if you play a certain chord a retractable six-shooter emerges from the guitar's body (fastest guitar, fastest gun... get it?).

The film has the look and feel of any episode of the 1960’s TV show Bonanza. They could have used the same sets, costumes, incidental music, and saturated-color film stock. Watching this film any Baby Boomer who spent their formative years bathed in low-level radiation will feel the same involuntary responses.

If you don’t know or care who Roy Orbison is, then read no further. Otherwise, note that the late Mr. Orbison and his songwriting partner, Bill Dees (who passed away in 2012), penned seven original songs for this 1967 film (also available on an LP released along with the film). The song titles are Pistolero, Good Time Party, River, Whirlwind, Medicine Man, Rollin’ On, and the eponymous title song. The musical scenes have little to do with the film's story line, but who cares. Roy always sports a different brand-new cowboy outfit and his luxuriant (and tall!) head of hair is always perfect.

The film’s saving grace is that it does not take itself seriously. It is self-aware. There is a Freudian joke about the obvious phallic symbolism of a guitar that is also a gun, and there are other surprisingly witty moments. The dialog and acting is hilariously awful, but that’s beside the point. If you can get past the casual racism (we’ve got Funny Indians!) you might enjoy things like the following snippet of dialogue from the Chestnut sisters:

“When a woman wants something from a man, she makes love to him. When a man wants something from a man, he goes to war for it.”

“Gee, sis, I wish I could think of things to say like that.”

I had this film running in the background as I worked on my laptop, so those 87 minutes where not a total waste.

Roger Ebert Was Great

Just ran across this line from the late Roger Ebert's review of Donnie Darko:

The movie is grounded solidly in a leafy suburban setting...

Yes.

Exactly