Dzomlija's Territory

I keep waiting for something else to go wrong this month.

First, my dad is hospitalised for an operation to resolve a life-threatening "cancer" on is back, and on the same day he was admitted, we had a vicious electrical storm that fried just about all the appliances in my house, including my computer.

To make matters worse, the insurance company required convincing that I've made a legitimate claim for the losses (in particular, the computer) and almost didn't settle because, and I quote, "It is highly unlikely for a home user to be in possession of a server-class computer of that caliber. The computer system for which you are claiming is not generally available to the public, and the claim can therefore not be processed without further investigation". To add insult to injury, the report by their assessor that they initially sent to investigate was not accepted, and they had their anti-fraud unit knocking on my door, with cameras and all so that they can take their own photographs. As if the ones I had already supplied where slapped together in Paint Shop Pro!

They eventually did settle the claim, nearly two weeks after the storm, and I was able to order replacement components for those that I lost.

But then the suppliers that had been working with the insurance screwed up, and began making excuses about stock availability. So I was forced to purchase the motherboard elsewhere, but at a substantially higher price. I was supposed to receive both deliveries this morning - but I only got the motherboard.

So I contact the original supplier, and ask them what the problem is. "Oh, I'm sorry, we don't have the Phenom processor in stock. We put your order on hold temporarily, until stock arrives in about 3 to 4 weeks." WTF? So in the meantime, they have my money, the insurance is breathing down my back about not yet purchasing all the claimed components (which has to be done within 7 days), and they say I need to wait for 3 weeks?

It just doesn't get any better than that, does it? But get this - I contacted the sales manager, terminated my reseller dealership with them, and informed them that I no wish to do business with them. Surprise, about an hour later, I got a phone call from the very same sales manager, apologizing profusely for the inconvenience, and that I can dispatch the couriers to pick up my order.

I thought it was going to be a 3 week wait before I got anything? Where'd the stuff come from now all of a sudden?

The above isn't even really the half of it. Now I'm being sued - For a computer that I sold nearly years ago. Why so long, you ask? Because the claim is that the customer has only recently "learned how to use the computer properly", and has discovered a discrepancy. I sold him a computer with an 80GB hard drive, but the system only reports 76GB available, and Windows ME is constantly performing a disk check whenever the computer is turned on. And it's crashing all the time. Is it really my fault that the idiot didn't want Windows XP when he bought the computer, and decided that he'll stick to Windows ME (which he provided, btw), because that is what he knows how to use.

I give up. Just shoot me now, and end my misery.

The only real good thing I've had this month is that my dad's operation was a complete success, and he is recovering nicely.

It's absolutely remarkable how efficient the technical support team at some companies are.

If anyone here is familiar with the Canon Pixma series of printers, then you would know first hand that this range of printers is natively supported in Vista. By this I mean all you need do is plug it in, and a few seconds later, Vista uses it's own certified driver, and you can print.

I did however, run into a little glitch earlier this afternoon.

One of my favourite features of the Canon Pixma IP3000 was the Easy-PhotoPrint software that came bundled with it. To clear the air, this bit of software is the one rare instance where I've actually enjoyed using bundled software!

But when I started using Vista nearly a year ago, I couldn't use the Easy-PhotoPrint that is on the driver CD, because it was for XP, and it would not install to Vista x64. This wasn't so much of a problem, as I rarely required a straight-up photo prints, so I ignored it, and continued to use CorelDraw X3 for my design and printing tasks.

But this afternoon, I had to get a driver for a customer, and I noticed that Canon had a Vista compatible version of Easy-PhotoPrint available for download. So I downloaded it, and installed flawlessly, except that for some obscure reason, it didn't want to see my printer.

So I contacted Canon support via the regular channels with an email request. An would you believe that not less than a hour later, they provided me with the driver extension that I needed to allow Easy-PhotoPrint to use the Vista supplied driver.

This is abolutely the best product support I've experienced in a long time. No see-saw emailing, or obscure instructions, or a "sorry we don't support it".  I asked a question, and they responded with the answer I was looking. Fantastic! A lot of companies (who shall remain nameless) can learn from this, as this level of care is exactly how customer loyalty is built and maintained.

The problem with skins for your OS is not that they are used, but that they are used by people who don't know any better.

I remember the scary days of Windows 98 where just about everyone customized the UI, and in far too many cases, to a point where the system was unusable by anyone other than the owner of the computer! It's was a nightmare diagnosing a system like that, and next to impossible to have a productive tech-support phone call trying to explain how to get to Network Neighbourhood by explaining which icon to look for after the f* user changed it to a bumble bee or some other totally unrelated rubbish.

An then with Windows XP, I've had cases where people have purchased a computer with Vista Pre-loaded, and when they came to me for tech support or for the installation of some software or drivers, it was discovered that the company they bought it from unscrupulously loaded some rubbish like Windows Blinds (for example) and fooled the unsuspecting novice that they bought a PC with Vista on it!

And what about software? WinAmp is a classic example of open skinning gone awry. At a guess, I'd say that at least 90% or so of the skins for almost any version of WinAmp are so damned dodgy, that the program is totally unusable. The same can be said for earlier version of Windows Media Player!

Whatever happened to the unified interface, where the common elements of any application, including OS utilities, where just that?

Personally, I'm glad that Microsoft has removed the skinability of Windows, and by allowing customisation that can be done to such cosmetic items as desktop background and titlebar/border color.

Skinning is for people who have nothing better to do on their computers other than fool around without doing anything productive.

I've been meaning to write some sort of review concerning Vista x64, and my experiences over the past year. But I'm not a writer, and never will be. Heck, I've even been accused of being able to write many pages without saying anything at all!

An acquaintance of mine on a Vista Newsgroup has written his own review though, and it basically echo's my own sentiments. Read it here: http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E8E5CC039D51E3DB!16644.entry

Stand before me on the sign of infinity, all you of the earth.
With the granting of "The Law of Probination" comes the application of change.

I will give you the key.

And with this knowledge, please realise,
comes the responsibility of sharing it.

I will show you the way.

It's very simple:

Throughout the universe there is order.
In the movement of the planets, in nature,
and in the functioning of the human mind.
A mind that is in its natural state of order,
is in harmony with the universe,
and such a mind is timeless.

Your life is an expression of your mind.
You are the creator of your own Universe.
For as a human being,
you are free to will whatever state of being you desire,
through the use of your thoughts and words.

There is great power there.

It can be a blessing or a curse.
It's entirely up to you.
For the quality of your life is brought about by the quality of your thinking.
Think about that.

Thoughts produce actions.
Look at what you're thinking.
See the pettiness and the envy and the greed and the fear and all the other attitudes that cause you pain and discomfort.

Realize that the one thing you have absolute control over is your attitude.
See the effect that it has on those around you.
For each life is linked to all life.

And your words carry with them chain reactions,
like a stone that is thrown into a pond.
If your thinking is in order,
your words will flow directly from the heart,
creating ripples of love.

If you truly want to change your world, my friends,
you must change your thinking.

Reason is your greatest tool.
It creates an atmosphere of understanding,
which leads to caring,
which is Love.

Choose your words with care...

Go forth...

with Love.