Windows 7, Coming to a PC Near You.

I am one of the few in the creative industry using a PC.I am sure there is a collective gasp occurring somewhere as I write this, but I am also a Microsoft Certified System Engineer and Gold Certified Partner. This gives me a great deal of access to Microsoft product. Well I got my release candidate this week of Windows 7, the next generation operating system from Microsoft.I was needless to say impressed.

When Vista came out I was less than enthusiastic.I had gone through the nightmare of upgrading to Vista, and having hardware not work, applications not work,etc, not so with Windows 7.The upgrade went without a hitch, the hardware was all functional and my software worked as well.The other nice thing is my test system seems to run faster and launch quicker.Then I got to looking around the interface. Everything I needed as an engineer was easily accessible.I most admit, I have enjoyed Apple’s operating system for its intuitive interface, but this version of Windows will give it a run for its money.

All is not perfect in wonderland though. For anyone who upgrades from Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate, you will find some things missing. Windows 7 will come with no extras, and the ones you had in Vista will disappear. One common sense item is Windows Mail, it was removed in the upgrade,and if I did not use Outlook I would have needed to download Windows Live Essentials. Windows Live Essentials is the online colloborative component Microsoft has been running ads about.

It includes: Live Mail, Photo Gallery, Messenger, Mail, Movie Maker and others. (http://www.windowslive.com/Desktop) This was one extra step I thought was unnecessary. Besides this, I see a number of features I enjoy. I can open Windows Explorer and a number of tasks are available from the window. I can burn CD's, add/remove programs, share documents or pictures, create slideshows and have a preview pane visible on the right side of the window. Another enjoyable feature is the good old Alt+Tab keystroke. As you Alt+Tab through your open windows, the desktop changes to show you the full screen of each window. No longer to you have to figure out what you have open and hope to pick the right one. It is easy to discern and the transistions are smooth. These minor changes to the interface result in a tremendous amount of saved time over previous releases of Windows.

Another improvement is how Windows 7 uses its graphics. In Windows Vista the Aero interface took up a lot of processor cycles and could slow a machine to a crawl. I have 2 Gig of RAM on my test machine and turned off Aero. When running Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, the screen redraws were taking too long. Now with Windows 7 they run as if the Aero interface is not in use

Bottom line, if you are looking to purchase a new pc or laptop, wait for the release of Windows 7. It is slated to be released on October 22nd. If you have Vista, I would consider the upgrade. For all you XP users, you will have to reinstall everything as there is not direct upgrade path.

God is Alive and Well in Reidsville, NC

What a week. Anyone who has had to deal with a major health issue will be able to relate to my week in July 2009.

I had been working on this image from our trip to DC. No matter how I put it the panels together, it just didn't look right. It is a compilation of stained glass windows from our visit to the National Cathedral. It wasn't until after the events I am about to share that the image took shape and meaning.

As many of my friends and family know, I have been fighting to determine if I have MS or not over the last several years. The MS diagnosis finally came through and the Dr. prescribed a treatment plan. The bottom fell out when I went to fill the prescription. The insurance company was telling me they would only cover up to a certain amount and then after that I was on my own. The amount they would cover amounted to a 1 month supply. Then the other 11 months were my responsibility each year. This was devastating news to say the least. I did a number of frantic phone calls, started financial discussions at home, and began wondering what would happen next. I had placed a call to my insurance agent with the situation and he was pursuing options as well. At the end of the day, I went to bed anticipating a long and arduous task of coming up with a long term plan.

The next day I was still overwhelmed with the news and just wanted some sense of normalcy back . I was driving to work and whispered a simple prayer. I prayed this was too much for me to figure out and I needed help. The next hour was amazing. I had whispered my prayer and made a mental decision to walk away from the problem until I had more information. I was sitting at a client site and talking with them when my cell phone rang. I saw it was my insurance agent, so I let it go to voice mail. I had expected him to say he had another insurance option and this was how much it was going to cost. When I listened to the message, I was overwhelmed with relief. He actually had called me with a way to work with my current insurance policy so it would cover the drug. You had to put additional effort in, but the reward was the copay would be the same as other drugs covered under my plan. Talk about the weight of the world being lifted off my shoulders. Finally the long struggle over being diagnosed with MS was over, and I had a treatment plan I could afford.

It is these moments when you go; "Wow, I am not alone." It is a wonderful feeling and brings into focus how amazing this world is. It also shows how subtle and powerful prayer can be. My agent was trying to find an option and happened to stumble across a way to bill my insurance on their website. So, the question becomes did he just happen across it and there was no guidance, or was there guidance and we just need to take a moment to recognize it and appreciate it. For me, I am saying God is alive and well in Reidsville, NC.