0 comments on "Windows 10 Followup; G+"

WINDOWS 10 –

Windows 10 seems like it’s got all of the makings of a great OS. It’s just not quite there yet. By the time of the official rollout, it might be. So wait a little while before upgrading. Just make sure that you reserve your free copy.

Also, it’s been suggested that you don’t upgrade if you’re running Windows 7 or older. The previous generation computers that were specifically designed to handle those chipsets could make your upgrade a rocky one.

A. Cortana. You click this and Cortana is supposed to ask what she can do for you. At the current moment, it doesn’t seem like she can do very much. Hopefully she will upgrade to become the digital assistant we were promised by sci-fi movies. Have patience.

I would like it if I can say “Hey Cortana, take a note” and have her bring up a program and begin taking dictation. I have been interested in Dragon Naturally Speaking, but I’ve hesitated to buy it because I’m not sure if I would be able to tell a story outloud and have it make sense. I tend to sound pretty dumb when I’m talking, and I’d hate spending $60+ on software that I don’t use.

B. Task View. This one is a bit strange. I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to do with this one, though if I right-click on it I can choose to see the Task Manager, so that’s where you can find that. Also, sometimes when I click on it, all of my open windows shrink and spread out across the screen — like when you’re thinking about closing Chrome and all the tabs are laid out. It doesn’t seem to have much purpose though, as when you click a window, ALL of them come back up on your screen, not just the chosen one.

Honestly, I would have liked the option to choose which window displays, and leave the other ones unseen in the tray. When snoopy people are lurking at my shoulders, it would be nice to not have them able to see everything that I’m doing. Just a point and a click leaves my screen safe for kid-view and nosy strangers.

C. Notifications. This is like the Windows 10 version of a cellphone notification display. You can make changes to brightness, Internet access, etc. Plus they really want to make sure that you use OneNote. It opens as a right-hand pane.

D. A change in view. Yeah, I don’t know what’s happening here. But that’s how the minimize/maximize/x-out icons look for some non-Windows programs.

In all, Windows 10 feels like it might be headed toward becoming something great. Just have patience and wait for it.

FYI: Currently I am unable to access the Windows Store or use any apps. My legacy programs — non app — seem to work fine. Plus I find myself kind of missing the Metro-look. It must be Stockholm Syndrome.

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GOOGLE PLUS —

I’ve been doing a lot more on Google Plus of late. It’s just so easy to send pictures and operate G+ from my phone. It’s a different experience from Facebook too. I think it’s a bit more my speed.

The only unfortunate thing is that people aren’t really on Google Plus. Its unpopularity makes it difficult to form a steady readership. Everyone may have been forced to make a G+ account… that didn’t mean they’ve chosen to use it.

My Google+ stuff:
My account: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+HarperKingsley/posts
Picture Prompts: https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/E03HAB

I’m usually posting pictures and things, and my blog shares itself on my timeline. If you’re just interested in reading fiction pieces, the Picture Prompts collection is where they usually end up.

Panoply at Amazon
0 comments on "So I “upgraded” to Windows 10. Now what?"

I upgraded to Windows 10 and it’s not as great as I wanted it to be. It’s like all the pieces were there, they simply didn’t come together in a way that’s useful to me, or even convenient.

Take Cortana for instance. It’s a nice idea to have a digital personal assistant, but there’s definitely some flaws. Like, she requires an internet connection. That’s not so bad on its own, but for simple tasks it’s kind of a pain. Plus, most of the time she doesn’t even respond when you call out “Hey Cortana” or click the little circle.

Then there’s the way Windows 10 completely changed how my live tiles appear. It’s like they forced the tiles on me in the first place, then when I get used to the way things work, they change everything around and give me a smug look “Now what are you going to do about it?” Uh, I’m probably going to hate you forever and write horrible(ish) things on my blog. You’re welcome.

The minimize/maximize/x-out options look a bit strange, and I can’t get the Microsoft Store or half of the apps to work anymore. I’m assuming that my antivirus is interfering with things, so I hope I’ll be able to fix the problem. If not, a large chunk of my computer just became useless bloatware.

I guess I just wanted to say that I’m not very pleased at the moment. Windows 10 better shape itself up, or it’s going to be facing a serious backlash from the whole of the PC world. There’s a reason why some people refused to leave XP behind. And right now I’m wishing I had held off on the upgrade and stayed with Windows 8 at least a few months longer.

Faizel 02 at Amazon
0 comments on "I am not a morning person. It’s not the time of"

I am not a morning person. It’s not the time of day, it’s the waking up. It’s the re-syncing with the rest of the world shock mixed with the mental recap of the day before.

If you ever see me walking around, doing morning people stuff? I’m probably pretty grumpy about it and I might snap when I talk. That or I haven’t been to sleep yet and I’m going to sound a bit loopy.

Anyways, most of the time I like to think that I’m entertaining.

Fortress in the Eye of Time at Amazon