September 29th 2007
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Blogging, Educational, Life
University is something that wouldn’t have even crossed my mind a couple years ago. I was concentrating on GCSEs and having a good time too much to think that far into the future. I know it’s a cliché but time does fly. By the end of this calendar year, I will have a good idea of which Universities I have been accepted into, conditionally or not. It kind of scares me how fast we’re all thrown into this higher education business. It scares me even more because I’m the first in my family to actually finish school, let alone go to University.
Going into higher education isn’t something you shouldn’t, and I don’t, take lightly. It’s an expensive and hard experience but one that has the potential to reward you with the best three or four years of your life so far. Going into University is something many people have questions about and no matter how many UCAS conferences your school take you to or how many open days you attend, I guarantee there are some questions that can never be answered until you experience it first hand.
Making Choices
You’ve had a minimum of eleven years to decide what you want to pursue (and spend a considerable amount of money on) at University. My own experience has been somewhat tumultuous. For many years I wanted to pursue a career in IT and it seems that fate has made sure I’ve the experience to do so. About a year ago, my attention was grabbed and has since been held by the realm of physics. I love it. Physics has excited me ever since I was taught the ‘good stuff’, as it were. I got full marks on most of my Science modules at GCSE and made sure I achieved a top A* in it as I was only doing Double Science and not Triple Science, something I do regret (but am glad I got an A*, so was worth it).
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September 7th 2007
Blogging, Internet, Life, Technology
Sunny Man’s Blog has undergone a lot of changes over the past year in the hope to better the design, improve the quality of the writing and to spread the word. I’m not about to let all that work, which gained this blog access to the prestigious 9rules blogging community, brought steadily increasing numbers of visitors and allowed me to express my (sometimes not so) professional opinion on technology matters, go to waste. Over the past couple months, you were left starving for an update and I’m deeply sorry I didn’t provide you with anything to read and disagree with. I had other matters at hand such as work, exams and a room-load of reports to write (10,000+ words so far!) as well as new responsibilities. Don’t despair, my fair and (hopefully) beautiful readers, I am back and ready to provide you with my insights and to, as ever, ask for your opinions and not receive any - you can’t say I don’t try to include you in the discussion! Let’s get it off to a slightly exciting start…
Microsoft recently released a group of their newest applications under the Windows Live brand name, aimed at the general computer user and recreational blogger. This suite includes Microsoft’s successor to Outlook Express, a new version of the popular Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger if you’re not keeping up with the trends), Windows Live OneCare Family Safety and a host of other tools Microsoft seems to think we need/want. I have had some experience with some of the products before, most in beta form, and just wanted to share my voice.
Mail
During my extremely short use of Vista, I used the Windows Live Desktop mail application that was included with it at the time. My experience was less than pleasing and an installation of Thunderbird promptly followed. The new application gives the user the Vista inspired interface (if you’re on XP) and a much needed clean and polish of the user interface that Outlook so desperately needed. I don’t think this application is meant to replace Outlook Express as Windows Live Mail doesn’t provide all the features that some individuals and businesses would require.
Messenger
The next upgrade to the popular Windows Live/MSN Messenger, version 8.5 or version 2008 depending on where you look, is part of the Windows Live family and an option in the pack. This new version seems to improve the speed of the application as I’ve had no conversation freezes or lockups since upgrading to the newest version. Also provided in version 8.5 is an improvement a change to the interface to bring it into line with the rest of the Windows Live theme. It is a nice improvement, I have to admit but only a minor one. Maybe the design team should take some notes from the Yahoo! Messenger team.
Writer
Microsoft’s attempt to make blogging easier has definitely improved since its initial public release - and I’m not just talking about the snazzy splash screen in the newest version. In earlier versions, Windows Live Writer didn’t exactly agree with Wordpress in a number of areas. Whether this was because of Wordpress or Writer, who knows, but I’ll bet it was Writer who was at fault.
Final Thoughts
There are other products in the Windows Live suite of application but I wont go into them right now; you can check them out for yourselves if you’re curious enough. This re-brand is just Microsoft’s attempt to push their products into the faces of ordinary PC users and given them software that in 
some cases just isn’t needed by the most inexperienced users.
There are some applications that are essential to most Windows users though. The update to Messenger is recommended for users who want a more stable chat program and for home users who don’t know better, Windows Live Mail is a nice replacement for Outlook Express though I continue to suggest you come out of the stone age and use Mozilla Thunderbird!
Go and download the applications - but watch out for the pre-ticked boxes that install the Live toolbar and set your homepage to something evil - and give is your comments on them! That’s an order.
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