Windows 8 Review

 Okay short break from my regular post so I can publish the review for Windows 8 that I wrote for work, I spent a bit of time on it and wouldn't mind some feedback.  Also all screen shots were done by myself except for the first one.

 
About three and a quarter years have passed since I first started using Windows 7 and it has definitely a refreshing change from XP and a correction of errors that many found Vista to be. So now that Windows 8 has been released what can I possible conclude about Microsoft’s latest operating system? Needed. The answer is quite clear, the world of technology is an ever changing set of solutions and if one is to continue repeating the same then it will be unsurprisingly left behind. Windows 7 turned out to be a quite stable OS and a clear revision of the operating systems before it.

Windows 3.11

With the release of Windows 8 it is clear that this time around Microsoft is looking to make a change. One try with the new system and you quickly realize that it really is the biggest change since August 1995 when Windows 95 was released. The Windows as we know it has been the same basic thought process since 95 passed from 3.11. I have used each OS since 3.1 (besides ME of course) and the change to 8 is drastic. So the question is why? Simple, Apple and Google. Competition creates change and every facet of Windows 8 shows this. Windows 8 was created for the clear purpose to tie the personal computer and the tablet. The OS is for sure benefited with the use of touch but that is not what I had tested.


In my case I decided to upgrade from a self-made PC from years before, using the standard mouse and keyboard. In this review I’m not going to throw out a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo because honestly the average person does not care. So the basics, my computer has a Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz processor (so a couple generations behind the current), 4 GB memory, and an integrated dated video card. At one time it was a quite decent computer but time has passed and my computer is no longer anything to write home about.

Windows 8 DVD package

So let’s get this started, first the installation. Simple, it was clearly simple. I went with the DVD option but that was simply before I had a $30 credit from Amazon. The easiest and cheapest route is downloading directly from Microsoft for $40, if you have recently bought a computer then the upgrade is only $15. So coming from Windows 7 you can keep all installed programs, settings and files, I chose to do a clean install instead, be sure to backup prior though. Now the process of the actual installation will vary of course, but at least for me I found it simple, extremely simple. I began the install and zipped by in no time, the install plus setting up an account and picking custom settings took all but less than 30 minutes. In this process you will setup a Microsoft account, this will be needed to be able to get apps through the Microsoft Store and use SkyDrive (more on these in a bit).


Once you are all setup you will be thrown into something new, a redesign and re-imagined Start. No longer is there a start menu but instead a Modern user interface or sometimes referred to as Metro. It is a screen full of scrolling tiles, and even without touch they react well and I found clicking on them to be quite enjoyable. The animation of the sprites just seems smooth and as for the tiles themselves they seem to come alive as you use them as they are updated with content and flash with what lies behind. At first I was confused and did not understand how you could have Windows without a Start menu. As I made my way through and became more comfortable it became quite clear that the idea of Start has not actually been lost and is instead the core belief of the redesign. The old Start screen was just a series of multiple clicks, then with Windows 7 you could pin the most used programs to the taskbar. With Windows 8 it combines both of these ideas, but with a smooth colorful interface that seems intuitive.


Now to be honest it took me a bit to get used to this and after 17 years of one thought processes it is not easy to change. To be honest, I am more worried about others. I love new technology and the ever changing innovation it brings. However, people tend to find change uncomforting. I feel that once you work around a bit it’ll seem quite fluid. Windows 8 can seem like it is from two worlds, there is the Modern UI Start screen where the Window 8 Store apps run and then the classic desktop where legacy programs run. The switch can throw you off at first and is probably one of the biggest drawbacks, but I wouldn’t say it was a reason to not use it. As for the legacy programs or those built to run on the classic Desktop they still work. At least I haven’t run into any issues.

Newly designed Start screen

One huge change that you will notice right away is that when you are in the new full-screen apps there is no close, minimize or resize buttons, so how do you close. Well simple drag the mouse from the top and throw it to the bottom, also the old Alt+F4 still works wonders. Also by hovering to the left side of the screen you will see little previews of what’s running. Another issue that I have with the new operating system would be that when in the apps they are full-screen which is great except you can’t see the clock and this is annoying. Actually the only way to see the time is to go to the classic desktop or when in the Start screen move the mouse to the upper right or lower right to bring up the Charms options. Another concept that must be seen to fully understand. Keyboards shortcuts come in use as well. By simply using the Windows key you will switch between the Start screen and the most recent used App that is opened. To quick bring
up Charms use Windows + C, and my favorite because using OneNote Windows + S for cropping a screenshot live.


As mentioned before the Start screen is made up of live tiles that pull from apps from the Windows 8 Store. In general I found the store pleasing, until actually looking at the apps available, it seems more like a list that can get confusing fast. Luckily Windows 8 has great search built in, again more on that later. Selecting apps is simple, for ones that have a price you typically can try them, and easily see reviews and what changes have recently occurred for the app, basically what you would expect using a cell phone or tablet. Now after installing a bunch of apps if you decide that you no longer want it, just right click on it a remove it, poof it’s gone.

List of Apps and programs installed along with Search

Back to the search, as easy as it was in Windows 7 but better and more defined, each app that is downloaded also can use it to benefit. Just click the Windows key and start typing the app that you want to run. If you are in an app like say Netflix, begin typing and easily find the movie you were looking for. In the Windows 8 Store it makes the mess I was speaking of before more usable, although stills needs to be improved quite a bit. Going to the search right from the Start screen allows you to pick the app in which to search from or search in general as well as show you everything install, be in from the Modern apps to those built for classic Windows. This is where you can easily bring up those legacy programs that date back years before like Paint, Notepad, and Windows Media Player; although they seem less important by the majority of the simple apps that have replaced them. Then again I find Xbox Music completely horrendous compared to the Zune software that it replaced, Xbox Video seems to be quite simple and easy to use however. The one benefit of Xbox Music that is kind of cool is the ability to stream music for free, much like Pandora or Spotify.


Since I mentioned a few apps I will mention a few more. SkyDrive, once mentioned earlier, is Microsoft’s cloud service and is highly integrated in the OS and you can save settings and documents here so when you log into another location you can access them, even when you are not at a Windows 8 computer your files can be accessed. For the SkyDrive you get about 7GB free with the ability to expand. Another app that Microsoft is pushing is Games, it can tie your Xbox account into Windows and keeps tracks of scores and gain achievements, allows you to download a long list of games and as time passes expect to see more game distribution through it (the main reason why Valve and Blizzard are bad-mouthing Windows 8, not because it is bad for gaming but their distribution profits). Honestly when it comes to games on the PC my first question is how has Solitaire changed, Windows 7 actually brought some nice refreshing changes, and Windows 8 actually brings some interesting things to the table (trivial maybe, but I keep tabs on solitaire).

Netflix and Cookbook apps running side-by-side

People is another app that is quite craftily built to tie in your Microsoft, Google, Skype, Facebook, Twitter as well as a few others to bring your life, friends and family front and center. I enjoy using it briefly for easily communicating using different services, but for Facebook in particular would be nice to have a dedicated app. However, just pinned the address to my start and can’t really tell the difference. Now one app that really was a surprise, Internet Explorer 10, I think I  have used it more for personal use in the last few days than I have used IE in the past few years. It is simple, gorgeous and fast, yeah I’m talking about Internet Explorer and I have been a die-hard Firefox to Chrome user for a good 6 years or so. Really the true power of the apps come from those that you pick and choose. So far my top apps would be Netflix, Cocktail Flow, Cookbook and OneNote, but I have so much more exploring to do.


This review or opinion piece is far from complete, much has not been discussed here and some that was probably did not have to be. There is much to learn and to explore about Windows 8 and I find it intriguing. Really no matter what I say it doesn’t matter and neither do the numerous other reviews. If you are interested, go try it out for yourself and create your own opinions. In fact if you have any opinions start the discussion below.

Full Circle

People always talk full circle and always sounds great and cheery, I believe in my case it actually is quite an exciting thing.  Even though there has been many changes in my life there are some things that have oddly looped back, more to my amusement then anything.  Four years ago to the date I was writing a very similar post preparing for the very same event.

It was October 10th, 2008, I was President of Fabiano/Emmons/Woldt Hall Council, working 20 hours at the front desk and 20 hours at Target at night, that and a full load of classes.  All of this basically equals the 50ish hours a week I am working in this busy tax season, well minus the lack of fun and thrill of the rush.  The main reason for this post was that I saw four years ago I was preparing for my very first 5k.  Now I am preparing for my sixth or seventh race, but all of them lead back to that first race.

Beginning of March 2008, embarrassing 

The race of course was for the CMU Homecoming with benefits going to the Special Olympics.  Much like then and not surprisingly I was not quite prepared, could have given myself more time for preparation.  But it was for charity and much as every time it was for myself, to show that I am still alive and can force myself to push on.  Back in 2008 I really made a push to better my personal being, mostly through exercise and what I was eating.  My urge to really start wanting to run a 5k was Spring of 2008, February of that year i weighed an ungodly 240 pounds, I know hard to believe.  I cut back fast food, watched what I at, and by the end of the Spring semester I began to run.  If anyone knew me back then can attest, I despise running, which dates back to middle school, ha ha ha ask a few people from back then.  I made the decision to run because I hated it so much and it is because of this I knew it was good.  By the summer of '08 I was running every day, sometimes over 6 miles (I wish I could get back to that again).  I kept at it, but then school began again during the Fall and I got busy lost focus, but still I stuck to my goal of running my first 5k race.  Looking back at some blog posts to refresh my memory on some of the details, I saw that it took dedication, a dedication i hope to get back.  Not all was lost though, I still value my healthy lifestyle, still try to workout and eat healthy.  By the middle of that summer dipped below 200 pounds and before the race I weighted about 183 pounds.  I am proud to say I have seen 200 since, let alone the disgusting 240.  At times I reached 193 but mostly I've stuck in the 185 range, last I checked a few weeks ago I was just barely under 180.

Homecoming - October 10th, 2008

So Homecoming 2012 will be a great celebration not just to see some old friends, but to bring me back to a point when I had a vision and I saw it through.  Life had been rough up until then but it got better.  Since then I had run into quite a few hurdles, but I fought past them and learned from my mistakes.  i am now in a place in my life that I am happy and successful.  If failures come my way I know I only have myself to blame and troubles are only temporary and with a bit of determination will be a joke to my future self.  2008 Brian it was great to know you, but 2012 Brian is way better for the troubles you had.

Change is Good

After much thought, and complaints to a select few (sorry), I have decided to make a few changes.  Work has been rough because of the impending Autumn deadlines, a failed camping trip, my apartment continues to leak and the side of my room is still squishy, missing quite a many college friends and not finding the same community, and then the elephant in the room this silly vegan-ism thing.  So obviously i know how to complain but it is time to get active and make changes to improve.  It is best to be positive when life gets you down, I'm a happy person and that's what i like to portray.  So time to make an old fashion action plan.

First, as for the Fall deadline and work, I need to realize it is only temporary and come mid-October it will be done (until 2013).  I'm great at my job and just need to keep my head up and focused.  That's a reason I need to find things outside of work participate in and have things to look forward to.  Another thing that should help a bit is to stop being lazy and get up and bike even more frequently.  This will allow me to get some much needed exercise, time to think and process the day to come as well as let loose on the work day completed, and finally to enjoy the outdoors as other times can get busy.

Welcome to Hell!

The next item was the failed camping trip.  Friday night downpour, all night.  The water proof tent was for sure not water proof as the lakes of water and Chad's wet blanket can attest.  It was cold and miserable because of the wetness and overall not what it was expected to be.  Instead of two nights we stayed only one.  So originally I threw this all away as a wasted trip but I was reminded of the good things.  We had a nice breakfast at a small town restaurant in Pinckney, then later in the day enjoyed a fun trip to Hell.  The bar was cheesy and humorous, the store was more of the same fun, and walking around the back got a few more laughs.  Finally packed up camp and continued to swear at the shitty tent and threatened it.  Drove back and decided to make the day not a total wash by enjoying a film and making a bucket list.  A nice set of lifetime goals is always a hoot.

So I finally decided to clean my room and move things around because I love new change once in a while.  However, as i was moving my bed I noticed black mold, disgusting.  I cleaned it up and bleached it down but knew it was more than surface deep.  Another issue was the carpet in that corner felt a bit damp so put some baking soda down to absorb.  Tried calling the complex but couldn't get through, it was a Sunday and the day before Labor Day so no surprise.  The next day however the carpet seemed even wetter and as time past squishy even.  I finally got a hold of the office and reported it, must have been three or four other incidents as well and as it turned out there was a foundation leak.  Well the carpet didn't get better and it spread damaging my brand new bookshelf.  So now the bookshelf has been lying in my living room for the past week and my room is now a mess of things stacked here and there.  Everyday I have been calling the office with no real update, still waiting on a contractor.  The worst part is that I know I will have to empty my room at some point as the carpet and wall need to be replaced, hopefully the apartment complex understands this.  My daily calls should drive that point home.

Uck the disgusting mess

Ok so I've said it in the past but I really need to work on this, I need to find a community and look to get involved so I will find my place here.  I have talked to a few people and found some great resources and ideas.  Most people it is hard to get to know because they seem to be in school and always busy or much like myself have full-time jobs and things to do.  So I will look for a few groups like biking or other hobbies so I can find a passion and meet other people with similar interests.

Finally the whole vegan-ism thing, not going into this much as I will have a post on it at the conclusion, but basically it comes down to instead of two months I will only be doing it for a month.  I have three weeks done and so on September 20th (aka my sister's bday) I will once again join the omnivore world.  It has been an interesting experiment but one that has been stressful and against what I started it for, boredom, in fact it has made things more boring.  More to come.

Obviously I have lots to be grateful for and many great things have happened lately, I have a great car and new TV, I'm totally smashing my student loans, I have some outstanding friends, and generally I'm flippin' sweet.  Life is great even when it seems to suck!

Hello Old Friend

So it has been about two and a half months since my last post, life gets busy and sometimes you don't stay on top of things.  My biking has been quite lax lately, haven't biked in about a month.  First had mono, then couldn't workout for a bit and the Olympics kept me distracted, then took a week vacation in Florida, and blah blah more excuses.  Hoping to get back to it tomorrow to Thursday.  Driving up to Traverse City this weekend to great friend so will take my bike and do some great adventuring.

Other then that not much has changed here, just working and doing the daily grind.  Okay i did lie, starting today and for the next two months I have decided to be vegan.  Not really for any specific reason, more boredom and understanding.  I like to try new things and test my body and will power.  Already today I saw some yogurt in the fridge at work and I craved for it, now i know how vampires feel.  Overall should not be too difficult, but it will require me to stop and think about what I'm putting in my body.  Also will give me a chance to try new recipes and better work with the ingredients and find substitutes for what I would normally eat.  i already eat vegetables as my staple diet as it is, but now not eating cheese and yogurt as well as drinking milk will be hard.  Then there is most processed foods I will be stepping away from and looking closely at labels.  I find this as a challenge and adventure that I'm excited to complete (just in time for Halloween)!

Leave some feedback if you have something to say, especially for tips, recipes and whatever else you have.  Also the picture above has no purpose except that it is a birthday card within the office that makes me smile and laugh and gets me through the days.  Enjoy!

Regained Focus

The title is my new goal.  Things seem to have been going great in the last two months since I have wrote a post.  I ran the 5k in Ann Arbor and had a pretty decent time, around 25 to 26 minutes I believe.  I took a two week vacation during May and was probably the best time of my life.  I hiked several miles a day, explored unknown cities (aka not just Chicago), climbed a mountain, met and took adventures with amazing people that I never knew until I arrived.  Also in the last month my piece of crud 97 Infiniti burst into smoke and sat in Mount Pleasant being ignored.  As luck would have it I found a fancy 2009 Mercury Milan with a little over 29,000 miles on it and decked out with Ford Sync, a moonroof, a suade seats.  Yeah I would say major upgrade.  Working on the insurance and auto loan, everything seems to be coming together and further partaking in the adult world.  Seeing as how I got an amazing loan rate I am getting a larger loan so the money saved will in turn go to pay off a student loan.  The final big change will be a flashy new LED LCD TV, preparing for the Olympics and Wii U in future months as well as once again enjoying network TV shows.  This post really is just a rambling of pointlessness but I felt as though I had to return.  Also i have been biking more since coming back from vacation and since I have had to drive to Dorr and Mount Pleasant a lot from Ann Arbor, biking is saving a lot of gas money during the week.  Ok back to making money!

Four Days

I am only four days away from my first 5k race since July 4th, and I am not sure I have run 3 miles since. Currently I am running about a mile and a half to two miles, but I the adrenaline of the race and the pressure of the crowd will push me forward.  It is a bit nerve wracking because I am basically running alone and mentally I do not know the area like I did for the races in Dorr and Mount Pleasant.  The thrill of the end of the race will be all more exciting to finish and run faster.  It will be an intense feeling to finish on the 50 yard line of The Big House.  You better believe that my Zune will be blaring the Olympic  theme song.

Sunday is going to be a crazy day as a whole because for some odd reason I have decided to bike into Ann Arbor that morning, so there is nine miles.  Then about 9:10am running the 5k, later in the day about noon biking about 20 miles on the trails around Ann Arbor with a group, then at some point will have to bike the nine miles back to Ypsilanti.  So in total will bike and run at least 40 some miles, quite the achievement for a day off.  Oh and did I mention it is suppose to rain, oh joy.  Personally I am excited for it.  Wish me luck!

The Home Stretch

From 80 degrees to near freezing within a week, yes this is definitely Michigan, Spring never ceases to amaze me.  Even though I froze my toes and hands off this week I still got three bike trips out of it, so not too bad.  Thanks you to Colleen for the warm onesie PJs, so cozy, embarrassing but cozy.  So March could have been better for sticking to my goals, I believe I only made half the calls I planned to, most during the first half, but I plan to keep going on my list until it is finished.  On the running front I think I missed about 5 days but some days I pushed a bit extra.  Yesterday I missed my mile because after biking all day and getting back to my apartment at 10pm I was too frozen to move.

Okay so my goals for April are going to be a bit different but I was sitting at my apartment today and thought really needed to happen this month.  It is crazy how I am already to my third month.  The first thing, the portion for my mental and I guess my roommate's sanity too is the dishes.  If you could see my kitchen you would understand, it doesn't look too bad because they are in neat, orderly piles, but it is ridiculous when you cannot eat certain foods because you are out of bowls, spoons, and forks.  It is laziness I know, and that is why for April (and I hope here so after) I will do the dishes every night.  No more piles for me, time to get responsible and clean.

So onto my second goal, typical I say one mental and one physical, this month the physical is a bit more mental, actually a lot mental with a touch of physical.  For April I plan on doing yoga and meditation every day.  It will benefit my breathing, flexibility, and give me an opportunity to think.  All these are important to me lately as again I have been working long hours and do not really get a chance to just stop and relax and to think deep.  Also as my biking distances increase and with my 5k race coming up in two weeks I need to improve my breathing and relax sore muscles from my increased mobility.  I used to do yoga quite often a couple years ago so it will be interesting to get back into it, it will be a chance to step away from myself and see the bigger picture while at the same time looking deep inside and seeing what I should do next.  I understand that sounds like a contraindication but for some reason it makes sense.