Tech Talk at ShieldsGroup

Using Ubuntu has spoiled me. I love the multiple desktops it gives you and often use them for background tasks.

Windows 7 has no such provision, but Jason Stallings has written an application that does it quite nicely.

Here’s what it looks like when it’s running two virtual desktops.

Jason’s work is here.

The only thing I don’t like about it is that, despite the fact that I have an i7 processor, there is sometimes what seems like a significant delay in screen writing when switching from one virtual desktop to the other. If an application is busy, it won’t show up immediately. Still, it’s handy for running background tasks that you don’t want on your desktop, but need to give periodic attention.

On December 6, 1960, COBOL was first used on two different makes of computers, proving that compatibility across systems could be achieved.

I have a lot of memories about COBOL. My first post college job included having to program in COBOL, which was strange considering I didn’t have any knowledge of COBOL and they knew that when they hired me.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/12/smithsonian-celebrates-cobols-50th-anniversary-with-new-website/68101/

This morning, in the dark, I booted my Droid 2 and found the buttons were not lighted. Or were they not lit? Whatever, they were dark.

Reading around a bit, I learned that this happens when you boot you phone in the dark.

It seems that the phone uses the level of light at bootup to decide if it needs those lights. If you boot in the dark, the droid assumes that level of light as daylight and never turns the lights on the buttons on.

I solved the problem by turning off the phone and starting it in the light.