Due to computer issues beyond my control, this site and a couple of my projects will not be receiving much attention. Quite irritating. Here’s to a relatively quick comeback!

Concerned with the increasing piracy on the ‘Net nowadays, companies such as NBC, Microsoft, and AT&T;have expressed interest in filtering what you download via your Internet service provider. Talks with the MPAA and the RIAA (remember these guys) have already been underway for quite some time. However, IMHO I don’t think it will work in the long run.

What we are already doing to address piracy hasn’t been working. There’s no secret there. ~ James Cicconi

So why should they have a supposedly foolproof plan now? I can already hear the hackers typing away on their keyboards, thinking up of ways to bypass their future threat. Who knows what’ll happen? Anyhoo, you can find the rest of the story here.

IE7 is a JavaScript library to make Microsoft Internet Explorer behave like a standards-compliant browser. It fixes many HTML and CSS issues and makes transparent PNG work correctly under IE5 and IE6. ~ dean.edwards

Yes, you read correctly! I found this by way of one of the blogs I watch. If you’re hungry for a preview, here’s an example. You can go to the downloads via the project page. Check it!

After reading the Cairo interview on the Aqua-Soft forums, I decided to have a look around. And I found some goodies! First up is Stacks. And just like Leopard, you can set it up to be Automatic, a Grid, or a Fan (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, just skip ahead to the link). There were already ways to kind of emulate Stacks with KKMenu but the Fan didn’t ... well, fan out. The developer of this Stacks version for Windows states that it isn’t meant to be a replacement for KKMenu. I am using both at the moment so I like the change of pace. You can find the Stacks docklet here.

Did someone say Spaces? Or should I say MySpaces? Meh, I think the name could’ve been better but that’s just me. Anyhoo, MySpaces is a Spaces clone for Windows and it works surprisingly well considering that it’s current version at the time of writing is 0.9 BETA. As such, there isn’t a little image that pops up when you switch Spaces and there isn’t the zoom out feature that Macs have yet but I’m sure that will be taken into consideration. It works by pressing the Win logo key + Arrow key. Of course, the keys you press can be customized. You can get your copy here.

I just posted some info about Cairo Shell yesterday but already there are more updates coming up. Ever since news of alpha-testing Cairo surfaced, there has been a steadily rising buzz about the project. a2z over at the Aqua-Soft forums sat down and talked with the main developer Michael Ciarlo about what inspired him to go from a simple Samurize project to Cairo. I actually found out some new info:

As a small team we are forced to develop for Vista first. Only when Cairo is released for Vista will compatability for XP begin. This isn’t to say it won’t work with XP at the start, but there’s no guarantee. Bug priority will go to Vista machines. As for a release date, any estimate I give now would be a stab in the dark, so that information is still up in the air. There are too many factors (stability, performance, feature inclusions) to begin estimating a release date. Besides, we want to release it when it’s a quality piece of software. We will always have deadlines as a team, but if it isn’t ready to go out, it won’t. We follow Apple and Microsoft on this. Although some might argue against Microsoft on this one, haha. ~ Michael Ciarlo

Unfortunately for me, I am using Windows XP at the moment and it probably won’t be fully supported until later on this year it seems. On another note, work on implementing plug-ins and possible skinning customization to Cairo is mentioned as well. You can catch the rest of the article at Aqua-Soft.

President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, stated in a recent interview that Nintendo was aiming to expand the DS’s WiFi capabilities.

The use of the DS’s WiFi capabilities for information. With over 20 million units sold domestically, we can go beyond games. Uses like getting off a train and downloading a map of the surrounding area, with descriptions of stores. The expanding of WiFi access throughout train stations, underground plazas, and restaurants allows the DS to get online from many more places. ~ Satoru Iwata

He goes on to explain why Nintendo changed their business model and started making games and systems “for all”. You can catch the full article here courtesy of Nintendic.

The cool people known as the Cairo development team has been making their version of a shell for Windows. It looks, for all intents and purposes, like a cross between Vista and Leopard. And I must say, I enjoy the look very much so. The start menu/bar is replaced by something that looks way better and the developers even managed to include CoverFlow! Here’s a little preview so you know what you’re missing:

Oh yeah, you can download wallpapers and PSDs of the Cairo logo if you want to support them and/or advertise their project around the ‘Net. Here’s where all the latest updates are: Cairo: A Windows Shell Alternative

Just browsing the ‘Net when I found these. If Apple were to ever make computers with touchscreen capabilities, I would LOVE if they looked like this (or at least close to it. Check it!

Click on the image for a larger view. There are also some images of a keyboard and monitor dock station but they don’t look really impressive IMO.

EDIT: Apple entrusted the company Axiotron with making a MacBook Touch and they’ve made it. Check it!

I am having laptop problems. It used to be that my hard drive was acting up but it just happened to be realy old so I bought a new one. Now, I keep getting cryptic error messages and my laptop wants to restart in a perpetual loop. Quite a problem/dilemma. So! Today marks the start of the “save up for a MacBook Pro” fund. Besides, I can use BootCamp and that will be very beneficial.

In other news, I put up a quick sketch and color of the custom NetNavi known as “Guincool Mind.EXE”. Check for the link on the sidebar that says “flickr”. Also, I will be working on KotoSquare now since I have PW Software looking how I want it to.

I’m back home for a little bit because I have some appointments I have to go to (and therefore don’t have access to wifi). I decided to view PW Software in Firefox on my mom’s computer and the titles of my posts are red everything looks fine. So then I tried it in IE7 ... and my titles are overlapping and red. I’m not fixing my code just so my site can look how it’s *supposed* to look in IE. Firefox yes, IE, heck no! Too much work for no reason. However, I have heard that the upcoming IE8 has passed ACID tests and will be webpage friendly. If you are already becoming a reader of this site and are wondering why the members button isn’t working, that’s because I’ve been a little busy working on various projects.

Oh, and by the way! I’m using the Opera browser. Best browser on the planet IMHO. Check it out!

EDIT: Safari BETA for Windows is displaying this site perfectly, so Mac users should have no problem.

While I was talking to one of my friends on DeviantArt, I had the idea to start a group for abstract, funky, unpredictable art. But the more I thought about it, the more I started to think that there needs to be a bigger outlet for that. DeviantArt is great because I use it all the time to showcase my work. But I also have a MySpace where I have all of my music (as well as a personal page). I wanted to have all that combined but there aren’t really any sites like that out there. So, like I usually do, I decided to make my own! That’s right, PW Software is working on a new social networking site. There are other forms of art, like writing and poetry and I want to find a way to incorporate this with collaboration and sharing tools to encourage people to make MORE art and more often. With that said, I’m trying to multitask redesigning this site, designing KotoSquare (that’s the social networking name!), record and produce my music, and work ... I need a receptionist.

PW Software is just an umbrella under which game, software, and media design and programming gather. I hope to have updates (maybe not frequently but) often enough. Check it!

Alright, I think I’m getting the hang of this Expression Engine ... hehe! Now to create my own template.