Written September 2007
by Cliff Feldwick
Bank tellers tend to ask me computer questions, maybe because they’re cashing checks made out to “computer consultants”. In a recent exchange, the teller was noting that a game that ran seamlessly on his Windows XP desktop was hesitating on a new laptop with Vista that had nearly identical processor, memory and video card. I started my canned “that’s because it’s Vista” speech with variations on how many video drivers hadn’t been written at all, let alone well, and how it should be avoided. Interestingly enough, the guy at the next teller challenged that, saying there were all these new features hidden in Vista and that you wouldn’t want to be left without them in the future. And while it would be easy to dismiss that (he was a twenty-something with a ball cap on sideways, a combination that may lack some credibility as a business advisor but has definite street cred as a computer dude), that would be too easy. So let’s examine that.
If you’re running a business, you want things that work: people who show up on time, trucks that don’t break down, and computers that grind out the day’s spreadsheet, letter to the attorney and connection to your distributor’s ordering page on the web. The less having to be cared for and thought about, the more you can get on with making money. And you need something that works now, with programs you already know and own, not new everything, unless you’ve made a definite decision to upgrade. If you’re having fun with a computer at home, then features that let you edit movies and put background music to your slide shows are important, and may well be worth the frustration, and usual accompanying hours of tweaking and learning, that they will require. Does this expand your knowledge and make it easier in the future? Yes, usually it does – but few people are paid to do that during the work day. It’s a different world.
So while you should never use a “home” version of any Windows in a business environment (see last month’s column for why), perhaps you want to look to newer versions such as Vista for your personal use. Just get plenty of memory (two gigabytes is recommended for Vista) and take care that compatible versions of add-ons and programs are used. Then go forth, learn and enjoy. Your feedback on how this works is welcome.
Put em in a tree museum
If there’s ever a poster child example of why people hate developers, the new clutch of Ryan townhouses rising on Old Annapolis Road in Dorsey Hall is it. Recent activity has cleared out the entire section of every living thing that ever grew there, down to the last weed. It is truly amazing that there was not one tree left standing in an area that boasted old growth in profusion – wasn’t there anything worth saving? Bulldozers and specialized tree removal cranes with large jaws sent truckload after truckload of large trunks somewhere down the road, and the chippers took care of the rest. It looks like pictures of the baked side of Mars, except not as picturesque.
This stretch of road has somewhat of an interesting history – something I have been able to observe since I bought my first house in Howard County not far from there over thirty years ago (pre Dorsey Hall, in fact) and still go by often. Originally connected to the two-lane Rt. 29 by a steep, fun-in-wintertime slope (yes, that’s why areas of Rt. 108 east of 29 are still called Old Annapolis Road, something that gets people lost on a regular basis), it got isolated by the re-alignment and improvement of Rt. 108. Except for the late night wanderers from the then Allview Inn, this probably quieted it a bunch. And then the shopping center was built, and people there faced the back end view of that with the delivery trucks coming and going up their street. Switch to now, and there are “luxury” townhouses rising. Maybe all the earthmoving is to hide the view. In any case, another enclave of pre-Columbia, maybe affordable housing disappears.
In a commentary on the real estate market, the sign originally announcing the future development noted “from the high 400’s”. It then went to “from 410’s” and is now to “from the 390’s”. It ought to be interesting to see where they settle down. Having put all that money into clearing and building, the builders will surely be motivated to sell. Maybe they’ll even throw in a free bush or two if you settle early.
Things to do
We all talk of the drivers putting on makeup, reading, etc. while driving – more examples of multi-tasking gone wild. This morning I was behind a guy shaving his head with an electric razor. How would you like to explain that to the officer making out the accident report if you dropped it (add your own visuals here)?
Cliff Feldwick is president of Riverside Computer Consultants, and offers network services, data retrieval and PC troubleshooting. He does not shave his head or wear a baseball cap. He can be reached at 410-880-0171 or at cliff@feldwick.com.