Has the Windtrap Finally been Invented?

Dune is my favorite book of all times. It's, in fact, my "One Book".

I love many things about this book, obviously. One of the most interesting ideas of Frank Herbert's was the Windtrap. This device was installed in the desert, and accumulated the moisture from the air, creating huge water reservoirs for the Fremen.

Seems like someone has finally decided to implement this idea, and so we get the AquaMaker. This machine looks like a water cooler, but according to the makers, it creates water out of pure air and you don't need any plumbing for it.

Sounds very interesting. I wonder if it also dehydrates the air in the house - that would be a welcome addition.

How can you tell for sure that Vista is a failure?

A small item I came across (Thanks to the Mixx Community!) states that Microsoft reports that the counterfeit rate of Vista is half that of XP. Microsoft is basing their statement on Windows Genuine Advantage validation failures, along with other internal data.

Microsoft, of course, attributes this success to the "robust security" of Vista. They are almost claiming that the war on piracy has been won.

I think there must be a different reason as to why Vista is not pirated as Windows XP - it's because Vista is such a terrible OS, that very few actually want to try it out - even as a pirated version. After a very annoying expericnce with Vista a while ago, I wouldn't install this horrible thing on a computer of mine, even if Bill Gates himself offers it to me for free.

There are more and more options out there to those who want a good operating system - a lot of them are free or close to it. If you insist on a Microsoft product, my advice to you is the rule of thumb I always give: Never install a new Microsoft product. Wait AT LEAST two years for most of the bugs to die. And even then - reconsider.

Kill Programs Quickly and Efficiently

If you are using Windows, you can probably hit CTRL+ALT+DEL with your eyes closed. We have done it so many times, those keyboard keys are almost worn out.

The worst part is that the Task Manager doesn't always do its job. You tell it to kill a process - it refuses. You try to shut down a stuck program - and nothing happens.

Task Killer 2.30 offer a neat solution. Just install it and get control over all programs and processes. Instead of hitting CTRL+ALT+DEL and getting annoyed, just click on the killer icon, and choose a program to terminate.

Task killer works on Win95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP - and is completely free. Yet another excellent freeware solution. Well done!

Top 7 Annoying Computer Sounds of all Times

Computers aren't the most silent machines in the world. Although they don't blip and chirrup every second, like in stupid movies, but they still produce a fair amount of sound. Some people consider it extremely cool that their computer can make digital noises. I am sure all of you cubical-dwellers have silently (or loudly) cursed your co-workers for leaving their speakers on.

Be it software or hardware, there are a few sounds made by computer that should forever be damned. And they are:

1. The ICQ incoming message ("Uh-Oh"): Yeah, it was cute in the nineties, for about two seconds, but when it started to be the most common sound coming out of a computer, it began to be annoying. Pretty soon it was considered a plague. ICQ usage has declined over the years, but there are still a lot of kids using it. The Uh-Oh sound continues to reign supreme, and annoy the heck out of people.
   
   (The loudest-ever-horn sound that you can hear when you open ICQ gets an honorable mention).
   
   
2. Any PowerPoint Sound: It's bad enough that everyone uses PowerPoint - from businessmen to teachers, from students to army officers - but it appears that some of them still think that PowerPoint default sounds are cool. Bursts, bombs and Ta-Da sounds are still a regular thing in PP presentations, and there is nothing much to do about it, except to hope that those wavs will someday die a slow death, along with their creators.
   
   
3. Dial-Up Modem, unable to connect: The sound of a modem isn't exactly music to the ears in itself, but a modem unable to connect is a master-screech of hell, the embodiment of annoyance. Especially because it usually meant you couldn't connect to the net and your porn consumption suffered accordingly.
   
   
4. Yahoo Messenger, User Signing Out: Oh, yes, THANK YOU! Don't we all love the sound of a squeaky door slamming shut in our faces? OVER and OVER again? All DAY long?
   
   
5. Ad-Aware, End of Scan: When Ad-Aware finds spyware it lets you KNOW. The flashing bug icon and the text message isn't enough. Oh, no. Let's scare the shit out of you by making a weird-bug-like-buzzing sound, just to get your attention. Spyware is a scary business, after all. Reminds me of that horrible blurting beep we used to hear when Carmel Anti-Virus found a virus in a computer, back there in the early nineties.
   
   
6. Computer Fan, Malfunctioning: Here you have your choice between numerous variations of annoying sounds. It can be a rattle of a broken fan, a high-pitch whine or just a plain hum that can drive you up the wallpaper. Sure, today there are many silent fans. Sure, I'll get some when I buy a new computer. In the mean time, I'll just keep the work-room door closed, just in order to avoid losing my sanity.
   
   
7. The Windows Critical Stop (AKA chord.wav and Asterisk): For me, this is the top of the list. The winner. The absolute peak. The undefeated champion of all the years to come. That was the sound of death. The sound of a program crashing. The sound of error and despair. And if you ever had Windows 95, you heard it all the fucking time. Nothing can beat that. Well done, Bill! You are the winner again!!!

Create Your Own Blue Screen of Death

Here is yet another useless link that will help you burn 2 more minutes of your life - Make your own BSOD.

This is mine:

Have Fun!