There is a new online Christian social networking site and I personally know the folks that launched it! They have launched a site called FaithVine.com through the company Red McCombs Media. Thought some of you might be interested in checking it out some time. A couple of you might recognize some of the devotional content providers (Fritsche among others.) I think it's a cool site and I now know there is good content for the online junkies looking to connect with the Word and with other believers. Check it out! www.faithvine.com

For the first time in several years I bought a new computer! I am on about the 5-6 year interval for upgrading my primary machine, which means it's been a long time since I've been able to wait for the UPS guy with a giddy grin on my face. Of course, he didn't show up until 3:00 so the grin quickly faded as I eased into the day. But, then it finally arrived! I got a new Inspiron E1505 spec'd out nicely. I am excited to be running Vista Home Premium...yes, Vista for all you haters out there.

From the time I opened the package, it took me a whole 8 minutes before I was up and running and online. Not too shabby for setup! I'm definitely impressed with the 3D flipping and overall user experience with Vista. The TrueLife display is going to take some getting used to since I'm used to my old CRT monitor. The true test will be how well it displays when I use it outside. Of course, it is going to take a while to get used to where everything is stored (i.e. Adding IIS management console is hidden in a new section of the control panel) but that won't take too long. I'm sure I'll run into some issues but I don't think it will be anything major. For example, I'm already finding it difficult to find drivers for my Dell all-in-one printer. Hopefully, I'll get that resolved soon.

Future plans include converting my old desktop to a media server that I can use to store my music, pics, videos, etc. I am also excited to getting the Visual Studio.NET add-ins for Vista installed so I can play start messing with some .NET 3.0 apps soon.

So, to all of the Apple apologists/MS bashers, I have had a very easy and smooth experience so far with Vista. Surely I'm not the only one. I don't think that it's superior to Mac OS necessarily, but it sure has made great strides to catch up in the user experience department. It will be interesting to see what MS and Apple do to differentiate their products in the coming years.

Would you believe that it's snowing in Austin right now? (Austin people don't answer that question.) After being stuck inside for pretty much the past 48 hours, we finally get some of the white stuff which is an extreme rarity in these parts of course. I wouldn't say there's much accumulation yet, but there is some. It was really pretty to see some of those big flakes coming down and to watch Bodie try to figure it all out. He wasn't too sure what to think but he did want to play with his frisbee which was so frozen a huge chunk of it just broke off! It's fun working at home with Jan but I'm sure we will be ready to be out in the sunshine again one of these days.

Listening to - Radiohead - The Bends
Reading - Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Here is a great service to use for your Conference Calls: AccuConference

http://www.AccuConference.com

My old friend David Byrd works there so check it out!

A friend of mine has been working on a really cool new web application, but not just for us to look at and admire it.  We can actually use it!  It is called Showtime Maps and it is a great way to find movie listings.  Right now, it works for the Austin and Los Angeles markets.  The interface is really cool because it uses a very clean map display to show what theaters are showing what movies.  Give it a try at http://www.showtimemaps.com and let me know what you think about it.

 

It's been pretty exciting around our neighborhood in south Austin as we have seen a number of new stores open within the past two weeks that are very close in proximity to our every day paths.  While I do not want to see south Austin turn into what Round Rock (south Dallas) is becoming, I am excited to see some convenient favorites and new places popping up.  Here's a quick list:

• Starbucks at Slaughter & Escarpment - we got to attend the grand opening and got free drinks.  It's hard to turn down free Starbucks.  This one is unique in that it is a "green" Starbucks, meaning they have a sort of garden planted on top of the second story that it is connected to. 
• HEB at Slaughter & Escarpment - we can theoretically walk to the grocery store now, even though that would be rare to need to. 
• Whataburger at Mopac & William Cannon - if anyone knows me at all you know that I am a Whataburger loyalist.  I've been waiting for a convenient location for a while.
• Costco - coming soon!
• 24 Hour Fitness - coming soon!  There needs to be a better alternative to Gold's Gym because their customer service and facilities are both lacking.

While I am still having to lay low to get over my sickness, I have had a lot of time on my hands.  When I am not working on stuff from home, I have found myself obsessively looking at the new Google maps website.  Back in 97, I remember using Microsoft's Terraserver that had satellite images, but Google is free, you can get a much better resolution, and you can even click and drag the image to move around the geography.  I am fascinated by the satellite images that they provide, since I have always been intrigued by aerial photography.  It's still in Beta so I'm sure they've got more cool stuff to add. 

One interesting thing I noticed when looking at the DC area is that the Capitol area is blurred out.  I'm sure this is for security or privacy reasons, but it's interesting to point out.  Check it out!