I love Parallels. Parallels is virtualization software: it allows you to create a pretend (virtual) machine on your Mac, on which you can install Windows or Ubuntu or Slackware or whatever. It’s a powerful concept: you can create a dedicated Linux machine for Web browsing, or a Windows computer that never connects to anything except your bank.
Generally Parallels is easy to use and set up. The hardest thing about it is spelling the word “Parallels.” I find this to be difficult: there are three separate places where you have to decide on double- or single-consonants.
So I’m eager to try the new Windows 7 public beta on Parallels. After some adventures (mostly stupid), I got Windows 7 to install OK under Parallels, and I find it to be quite zippy (totally unlike Vista).
But I can’t get networking to go. I can’t get Windows 7 to recognize my imaginary network card. It recognizes all the other imaginary hardware… so what’s the deal?
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January 15th, 2009 | Tags: imac, parallels, windows, windows 7 | Category: Apple, windows | Comments (18)
I’m trying out Windows 7 on my old Intel-based iMac, and it’s going pretty well. One of the ways I’m doing this is with VirtualBox (a free, open-source virtualization tool from Sun).
I had some adventures, mostly stupid, getting it installed. But now it’s working, and mostly correctly… with some issues.
In general, Windows 7 is sprightly and responsive running in a child window on my 2.16 GHz dual-core Intel Mac. It hogs up most of my 2 Gb of RAM, and works the CPUs hard, but that’s good, I think. It takes just eight seconds, total, to start VirtualBox and restore the Windows session. Sweet!
Video playback is smooth, even when Windows is doing other things in the background like initializing a “Homegroup.”
But so far I haven’t been able to get a peep out of the sound card. Not so much as a bzzt. Windows says that “no audio devices are installed.”
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January 13th, 2009 | Tags: imac, sound card, virtualbox, windows 7 | Category: Apple, windows | Comments (4)
I’m trying to install a beta of Windows 7 in a VirtualBox on my iMac.
VirtualBox is a free, open-source application that lets you run one operating system inside another. I use it at work, to run a relatively bulletproof Ubuntu install on my Windows laptop, and I use it at home, to run Windows XP on my Mac. I love it, and it generally works very well.
The idea is that you create a virtual machine, and a virtual hard drive, and then you download an .ISO file, and tell that virtual machine that it’s a CD-ROM.
Generally it works great.
So I downoaded the .ISO from Microsoft, and started the install.
The installer loads and starts up fine. But it quickly stops with a (very attractive!) dialog box that says:
Windows could not collect information for [OSImage] since the specified image file [install.wim] does not exist.
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January 10th, 2009 | Tags: virtualbox, windows, windows 7 | Category: Apple, windows | Comments (20)
It turns out it’s quite difficult to shoot artwork. There are issues of exposure, and parallax, and even physical danger (standing on the table while coked to the gills on cold medicine).
This is a watercolor by our friend
Rebecca, which we think is the bee’s knees. Plus we think
she is the bee’s knees, but that’s not the point.
Links to full-sized image files: 1 2 3 4
January 8th, 2009 | Tags: Rebecca | Category: Photos | Leave a comment
Uncle Billy was a swell guy. I am truly sorry that he’s gone.
The first time I met Uncle Billy was at Thanksgiving (or maybe Christmas) dinner at my mother-in-law’s house, in Minnesota. He showed up with a hard plastic case, light blue, a little bigger than a large laptop computer.
He opened this case, which turned out to hold cutlery, and took out some extremely sharp knives, which he sharpened some more. He was then given a whole (enormous) turkey, which he carved into perfect symmetric portions, leaving a nearly meat-free carcass behind.
He was kind enough to throw me little bits as he carved, as one would to a dim but focused dog.
We became friends after that, and he let me help carve later turkeys.
Billy passed away recently. He will be missed.
January 1st, 2009 | Tags: minnesota, uncle billy | Category: Photos | Leave a comment
French bugs on French flowers.
December 16th, 2008 | Tags: Ferme de Gally, flowers, paris | Category: Photos, Travel | Comments (1)
Big doings at Chestnut Grove Baptist Church.
December 15th, 2008 | Tags: Chestnut Grove | Category: Photos | Leave a comment
No, I’m not diffusing trash. I was going to spend fifty bucks on a diffuser for my flash, but then I found that if I swivel the bulb on my little SB-400 flash device straight up, and tape a piece of paper (from the trash) to it, it makes a magnificent flash diffuser.
Check it out:
This idea was stolen from Ken Rockwell.
November 27th, 2008 | Tags: diffuser, flash | Category: Photos | Comments (1)
Heartfelt thanks to Coach Dave, who did a heck of a job with a rather motley crew.
November 15th, 2008 | Tags: soccer | Category: Photos, sport | Leave a comment
Team photo. Let me know if you want a full-sized file.
November 15th, 2008 | Tags: soccer | Category: Photos, sport | Leave a comment
