On my Mac: Adios Safari, Hola Firefox

I resisted the temptation for many years to use anything other than Safari on my Macs, but I just had it with its (poor) ability to display some web sites.

I don't care who it is to blame (poor web design or poor browser rendering capabilities), but Firefox on my Mac gets the job done.

So it's adios Safari, hola Firefox from now on.

Microsoft's Mac BU

This is where my new office is on building 115 of the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA.

The post-its were a decoration created by some of my co-workers to commemorate 10 years of Microsoft Office for Mac.

Last day of work in St Louis

Last meal with my buddies from GMACI


Everybody


This is it. Last day at work in St. Louis.

2/1/2007

Counter of Days to begin working at Mac BU

[01/26/2007] 10 days...

Counter of Days to begin working at Mac BU

[01/17/2007] 20 days...

T-50

Installing Bootcamp on a Mac Pro using Windows XP Pro Upgrade

I almost gave up but here is my how-to-guide for those of you who are still wondering:

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
- Intel Mac Pro
- Bootcamp software
- Original Windows XP Upgrade CD
- Original older Windows Operating System CD (i.e. Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, etc; find out about elegibility requirements for the upgrade right in your XP Upgrade box).

TOOLS
- A twisty tie (that's right, get one from your bread bag, your original Mac package, or wherever)
- Perhaps a flashlight.

PROCEDURE
1. Follow the instructions to install the Bootcamp Assistant, Create the partition and begin the Win XP installation (included with the Bootcamp download).

2. As you already know, the moment of truth is when the XP Upgrade installation asks for your older Operating System disc you were not able to open your Optical Disc (Combo Drive/Superdrive) unit.

3. Fold the twisty tie at the top to create an "L" shape.

4) Open your Mac Pro's optical drive unit cover with one hand by pushing the cover down and hold it there.

5) Turn on your flashlight and locate the Optical Drive open button towards the lower right.

6) Slide the twisty tie folded tip around the middle and then slide it until it is in front of the Optical Drive open/close button.

7) Push the twisty tie

8) Ta-daa!

9) Now follow the instructions and repeat the procedure above to reinsert the Win XP upgrade CD when asked for it.

I hope this helps!

George Lucas on 60 Minutes tonight

Tonight at 6pm Central George Lucas will be on 60 Minutes talking about the "final" episode of the Star Wars saga.

Never before seen scenes will be shown, and who knows what surprises he will disclose during the interview.

I hope it's a spoiler-free show so I don't learn too much of the movie; I also wonder if he is going to talk about Episodes VII, VIII, and IX.

MTFBWY

Star Wars Episode III Theatrical Trailer on TV tonight

We Star Wars fans will gather tonight and watch the Episode III theatrical trailer on Fox.

It will be playing at the time of the series "The OC" (8:00 PM).

Also, the theatrical poster can be seen at www.starwars.com

My SGI 330 

Upgrades are good!

Today I took a day off from work, stayed home and upgraded my 4-year old computer. I have to say that I am very satisfied with the results, it really feels like a new computer.

I remember talking to my friend Andy B. a couple of years ago about the upgrades while looking at Pricewatch.com, but it didn't happen until now.

Here is the summary of what happened:

Silicon Graphics Visual Workstation 330
Before
Dual Pentium III at 800MHz
512MB Ram
64MB Video - VRPro3 (GeForce 256 Quadro)
18GB SCSI Hard Drive at 7,200 rpm
CD Rom
CDRW/DVD Combo
1600SW LCD Flat Panel Monitor
Win2K Pro

After
1GB Ram
256 Video - ATI Radeon 9550
70 SCSI Hard Drive at 10,000 rpm (+ the 18GB drive as a secondary)
DVD Burner
Dropped the CD Rom and kept the CDRW/DVD Combo
WinXP Pro

I Finished KOTOR II

After several late-night sessions I finally beat the Sith Lords of Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic II.

I have to say that it was far easier than KOTOR I, and frankly a little bit of a deception.

The new game engine feels slower and this is specially noticeable when navigating the menus of the game, when facing multiple oponents, and when watching the game "movies" (transitions between levels).

It was fun though, and I can't wait to replay it with a Dark Side character to see the alternative ending.

I will post a picture of my character when he turns to the "Dark Side"

T-103: Why I love Star Wars, and the countdown to Episode III

I am a 30 year old kid, and I love Star Wars because it will keep me forever young.

I watched the first Star Wars movie when I was about 10 years old and I've been a fan ever since...
I lost count of how many times I have seen the movies. I've seen them in Spanish, in English, in English with sub-titles, in widescreen, full-screen, in a digital theather, in an IMAX screen, in VHS, MPG, DVD, in a 20" and 50" flat screen TV; I heard it with THX, DOLBY, and even with the modest speakers of my computer and I still love them!

I still get goosebumps right when the 20th Century Fox drum roll kicks in, and my heartbeat goes crazy with the first notes of the official theme and the Star Wars logo slides in...

It's kind of sad that the "last" movie of the saga is due this summer... it's like we don't want it to be over. We all want to hear George Lucas saying that he is making Episodes VII, VIII, and IX; how about making Shadows of the Empire?

Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is the movie that will -hopefully fill all the gaps. It's hard not to peek at the StarWars.com web site, and Hyperspace, and the new game trailer... but geez, it really spoils the whole movie experience! I ALREADY KNOW TOO MUCH!!!!

Today I promised I won't read anymore SW.com stuff, I refuse to spoil it. I want to be surprised and I want to have to watch the movie 4 times on the opening week to catch all the details.

103 Days to Episode III, and counting...

The Beginning

After seeing so many blog sites lately I decided to start my own.

The things I want to talk about in my blog are:

• México & Mazatlán
• Star Wars Episode III and Planning the trip to Star Wars Celebration III
• QA