…which is also known as the second level of Jumpman Jr. (after Nothing To It and right before Sreddal). Then there was Hellstones, Figurits Revenge, Walls, Zig-Zag, Hurricane, Blackout, Here There Everywhere, Hatchlings, and Spellbound, and… nevermind. I'm just doing what I can get get the idea of these new California Fires out of my head. Were we still residing in the same place in southern California, I'd be crapping gold bricks this morning. If you don't know what's going on yet, these links might offer some assistance:

• Brush fire threatening northwest Los Angeles
• City of Calabasas
• California Fire Alliance
• The California Fire Photographers Association Web Page
• Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
• The Fire Safe Council
• California Wildfire Maps
• National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
• Firefighters Hope Weather Will Slow Fire

I wish all of those in the path of this beast the best of luck. We would have been right in its path, having lived in Woodland Hills. FWIW, Chatsworth is the pr0n capital of the world (so I'm waiting for the fundamentalist Christians to weigh in with Sodom and Gomorrah references any moment now).

I was thrilled to be accepted into the PSP SOCOM- US Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo beta test team. I received my UMD the other day and fired up the ol' PSP (which hasn't collected a single speck of dust). This is an Internet-enabled game, so a WiFi connection was mandatory. No big deal, I thought. However, it *IS* a big deal if you have encryption enabled at this point. I can't even access a connection wherein I've enabled encryption. Using the Network Connection Manager within the game itself is even more confusing, as it picks up my access point as open (even though it's not). So, the question remains: do I test SOCOM - US Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo at home, unsecuring my normally-secure wireless Internet connection for the duration? Or, do I sneak down to a local coffeeshop and annoy the hell out of patrons by sitting there and shootin' up digital “enemies” from around the world?

As a Microsoft beta tester, I'm forced to use the 1995'esque (lynx optimized) Beta Place and/or the halfhearted Connect sites to manage program acceptance and feedback. Dumb. Dumb ditty dumb ditty dumb-dumb-dumb. Nobody should be leaving ANY kind of constructive feedback in a newsgroup anymore, neither in a Web-based forum nor through a mildly-antequated NNTP hierarchy. Empower the community, don't just placate it. Here's the kicker: Microsoft already has a better product, and it's already using it - but only in a limited fashion. This is a call-to-arms for all Microsoft software beta testers on the planet: we must all start using “Ladybug” for all future beta software releases. Strongarm your contacts to steer directly into its headlights. As suggested by another annoyed supporter, Brandon Bloom [sic]:

A friend of mine whom just completed a Microsoft internship just extended me an invite to beta IE7 and Windows Vista. I installed IE7, but promptly performed a system restore because the Microsoft Connect web site is an embarrassment. It made it virtually impossible to submit feedback and I refuse to run IE7 (which is hideous) without providing feedback. Not only is connect.microsoft.com a poor rehash of the MSDN Product Feedback Center, but it forces you to use a stand alone newsgroup reader when Microsoft has access to a superb web based newsgroup reader on MSDN! Please go talk to these people and convince them to use this MSDN Product Feedback Center for IE7 and Longhorn bugs (and all other MS software for that matter). This site is significantly superior. Microsoft is wasting its precious mind power on re-inventing the wheel constantly.

His proposed solution? “Use MSDN Product Feedback Center for all Microsoft software, especially programs under heavy development such as IE7 and Vista.” I agree, entirely and completely. So, what say you, Vista and IE7 teams? Are you ready to manage your programs more effectively with a proven-useful Microsoft product? Allow me to provide more feedback on feedback…

Normally, the DivX Create Bundle comes with a free 15-day trial of the DivX Converter and a free 6-month trial of DivX Pro. You must purchase the full DivX Create Bundle if you wish to continue using DivX Pro or the DivX Converter after your trial periods expires. The DivX Player does not expire at any time. However, today, for just a few more hours, you can get the entire DivX Creative Bundle for free. It's another one of those great software anniversary gifts, and I hope more giveaways will follow. Opera scored a few million downloads over the first couple of “free” days of their browser. What's DivX trying to do here? Eh, I don't care - they're giving it away. At least, they are today.

Major Nelson dropped by the swanky studio where we record The Chris Pirillo Show to show off his prototype Xbox 360 hardware and talk about the most anticipated game console in ages. Holding the code-named Radon controller made my thumbs twitch for some HD gaming, but we were denied by the lack of a power cord. Maybe next time (there will be a next time, so stay tuned). As an official member of the Xbox Live product team at Microsoft and unofficial blogger of all things related to Xbox Live, Major Nelson fielded questions from Chris, followed by a rapid succession of calls from avid gamers. This first hour of the show is the interview with Chris followed by several calls from Xbox Live enthusiasts. Is Xbox 360 the gateway drug to a full-on PC experience in the living room? I’m inclined to bet it’s even bigger. Find out in this first hour, jam packed with Xbox live enthusiasm.

I'm not sure if this is for public consumption, but I've learned about a workaround for my Windows Vista build 5219 LCD resolution hiccup (wherein the screen won't slide past 800×600). I've confirmed through a new digital friend that this registry hack indeed works for our laptop, the IBM Thinkpad T41p:

1. Run REGEDIT
2. Locate HKLM \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Video \ (BLAHBLAH) \ 0001, where (BLAHBLAH) is a GUID with a whole bunch of keys under it
3. Change the value with DALRULE_GETLCDFAKEEDID to 0
4. Reboot

I'm gonna reinstall Vista build 5219 now, although I know I'm likely to have to workaround other issues - like the installation of VZAccess dialing software. It thinks I'm running something younger than Windows 98, for some reason. I'll try a compatibility mode for the EXE. Other than that, and major UI bugaboos, Windows Vista seems to be running smoothly on the laptop. The eye candy is fun - although the overal OS speed and responsiveness still leaves something to be desired. It'll be cool to show folks Aero Glass in person, though.

That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous animations, Or to take arms against a sea of pixels. I've recently taken to including animated GIFs in some of my posts, but believe that too many of them have rendered a single page annoying. One or two (here and there) seem fine, and the static images are equally fun. Would the Bard approve? Not sure. I'm gonna try sticking with the non-animated GIFs for now. When IE7 is out in full-force, I'll switch over to PNGs. Although, I could easily apply that CSS hack for PNG transparency? “Come, give us a taste of your quality,” you say. Thus conscience does make cowards of us all.