Windows 7 - Beta fun!

I have decided to join the public group of testers of the newly released Windows 7 operating system. It is soo pretty. First I installed it on a laptop I have laying around just to see how long it would take to load- surprisingly fast. I then began to poke around to see what it came with and if there was anything interesting/new to peak my exploring further- updated Media Center (love it!)

Just when I thought Microsoft was on the right track, I checked device manager and found a few devices missing drivers. Typically this would not be an issue as incorrect or missing drivers is some to expect in the Windows world but Windows 7 is too new for manufacturers to provide supported drivers. More to my disappointment, my ATI video card was not supported. :(

I then tested installing the OS on my MacBookPro (VM Ware Fusion). I used Windows 2008 as the guest OS preference (since Windows 7 was not an option). Gave it a 40gb drive, 1GB RAM, NAT for networking. Fired right up and also appeared to be working great until I went to device manager and noticed, yet again, unrecognized devices...Urrrgh!

I am still working through the kinks and will follow-up with more as I continue to explore this new OS.

One bright note - the new Media Center functionality includes a larger online content library which made me very happy (news, photos, video, etc...)

The future of transportation - Intelligent Design

The Ultimate Flying Machine: Sexy as a Sports Car, Portable as a Jet Ski

Kirk Hawkins started Icon Aircraft, and he has spent the past five years designing and building the A5. It's a plane like no other—the wings fold at the push of a button, making it easy to store and trailer. The side windows pop out so pilots can feel the wind, and the cockpit has just a few gauges. Meant to evoke something sporty, like a jet ski, instead of a lumbering Cessna or a tough-to-fly experimental kludge, the plane is supposed to let anyone who can afford the $139,000 price tag become a barnstormer. In a few weeks, a prototype will be on display at the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin—mecca for air enthusiasts. If the A5 flies today, and flies well, it could create a new market for airplanes.

Top 10 SQL Server Tips of 2008

As the year comes to a close, here are the top 10 SQL Server tips for 2008. Whether defining various data types, recommending memory configuration settings or providing stored procedures to assist with SQL Server table and log size issues, these tips were the most viewed by SearchSQLServer.com's readers in 2008.

Kerberos authentication and delegation for Monitoring Server

The articles in this section outline the changes that are required to get PerformancePoint Monitoring Server working using delegation.

Delegation enables a Web application or service to use the caller’s identity to access remote network resources. Delegation operates based on Integrated Windows authentication and the Kerberos protocol. Scenarios that require the use of delegation are commonly referred to as double-hop scenarios. In the case of PerformancePoint Monitoring Server, this would include scenarios where Internet Information Services is located on a different computer from the target data source.