SysInternals Live

Tired of constantly downloading the latest version of the SysInternals tools (ProcMon, Process Explorer etc.)?

Maybe your IT manager does not allow you to "install" them (despite the fact non of these require installation)?

Well, here's a way for you to use all their tools, without "downloading" them. Introducing SysInternals Live:

All you have to do is open your "Run.." command (or hit Windows key + R), and type \\live.sysinternals.com\tools\<tool name> to run any of their tools (full list here).

Technically, it'll still download to your temp directory, run from there and remove itself when closed. Cool.

Let Bygones be Bygones

It's true what they say: some things are better left in the past. This post contains 2 un-recommendations. And could contain more, but hopefully I'll learn my lesson.

The main motif? Trying to recreate the past. Case in point: the new Indiana Jones movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

I loved the first 3 movies. But after watching the fourth today, I regret it. It has sullied the memory of those 3 great movies. This movie takes the formula of the first 3 (paranormal artifact, plenty of bad guys, chases, traps, wry humor, whip action, fist fights... did I forget anything) and empties it from tongue-in-cheek humor, suspense, excitement and lets admit it, plot.

The latest film looks like it was written by someone (anyone) who saw the first 3 movies and said "hey, I can write one too!". Even taking into account that this is a fantasy movie, some of the things that happen here (don't worry, no spoilers here) are beyond imagination.

Harrison Ford, at 73, jumps and runs like a 17 years-old. He lacks enthusiasm when delivering his lines. Seriously, at one point in the film he looked bored. In another, his moth was delivering his one-liner, but his eyes were saying "the things I do for money..."

Shia LeBouf comes across as too snarky and one dimensional. Kate Blanchett, as the antagonist, is even less than one dimensional, if possible. And the plot... suffice it to say, I now feel I should have left in the middle.

But the waste of time and money is not the issue here. It's the memory that has been sullied.
Some movies don't need sequels. Not because they were bad - but because they were too good.

Case 2: MacGyver.

As a kid, I adored this show. The smart agent who solves every case without weapons, with just a gum wrapper, a banana and some detergent excited me to no end. I used to escape school to watch the episodes (which were shown on the Lebanese channel in English only - no subtitles, thus forcing me to master English faster).

Having missed it so much, I got the first season to re-watch it. I stopped after 3-4 episodes. I just couldn't believe the low-grade acting, the zero-grade "special effects" and the non-existing plot lines.

I got an even worse shock when I tried to watch old episodes of the Six Million Dollar Man. Lee Majors couldn't act even to save his life. And the corny slow-mo sequences are.. well... corny.

Bottom line: if you remember something as being good as a kid - cherish the memory, but don't act on it. Chances are it's not as good as you remember it was...

Twitter

After listening to so many people who use it, I decided to join Twitter.

Twitter is a mini-blog site. It allows you to post short 140 character (maximum length of an SMS message) posts - to be shared with a group of your friends, or "followers" as they're called. You can follow anyone around and get his/her thoughts and experiences live into your phone, or IM client (all supported).

As a poster, you are encouraged to answer the question: "What are you doing?" as many times as you'd like. It has become a tremendous success within the tech savvy crowd. People started using it to coordinate group efforts (all your followers get your "twit" at the same time), share their current experience or opinion, or reach large crowds with a key click.

Witness the success of Barack Obama (who's currently "In Las Cruces, NM, honoring the generations of American patriots this Memorial Day at a Veterans Town Hall with Gov. Bill Richardson"), or Robert Scoble - with tens of thousands of followers.

Twitter raised $15M in VC money last week and opened its web API to the public. Many Twitter clients became available, along with widgets, gadgets etc. and I'm sure many would follow.

Since I don't want dozens of SMS mesages, nor would I like to post using SMS I use TwitterBerry - the Twitter Blackberry client - both to post and to follow.

If you look at the lower left corner of my blog, you'll be able to see my last 5 twitter posts. And if you want to follow me in real time, and get my thoughts more frequently, just hit this link, or go to twitter.com and start following TTGuy.

Memorial Day at Lake Tahoe

Memorial Day took me by surprise this year. I was so busy with personal and professional stuff, that Friday arrived and I had no plans for the long weekend (in the US, Memorial Day - usually a somber and sad day in every other country - is celebrated with barbecues, trips and a long weekend).

I opened Google Maps and looked for a large green or blue spot within driving distance (Yosemite on my last trip ).

I heard about Lake Tahoe before, and decided to pay it a visit. The lake stretches along the border of Nevada and California - which meant I was to Nevada twice in a week, having visited Vegas not 2 days before (for business - no gambling for me, unless we're talking about stocks ).

I went online and reserved a room in Reno, Nevada. That was on Friday evening. This might explain the 2 errors I made in hastily preparing for this trip:

1. I did not check the weather forecast. It was a ghastly, cloudy weather throughout the weekend, with infrequent cold showers. Dashed were my plans to swim in the lake.
2. Reno is not a great choice if you're interested in Lake Tahoe. Reno itself is a drab, gray city, trying to be Las Vegas (casinos, shows etc.) but (in my humble opinion) failing miserably.

I started my long drive (237 miles) on Saturday morning. My path took me toward Sacramento, and then up to the Sierras - where it was still lightly snowing (in the end of May!) and down to Reno on the other side. The trip takes you through wonderful vistas (not the operating system) of mountains, plains and desert.

The trip from Reno to Lake Tahoe will take you through Carson City (where you can see the governor's house, if you're so inclined), up the mountains, and down towards the lake.

The trip through the cloudy, snowy peaks and down to the lake reminded me first of my trip to Switzerland and then, for some reason, of driving down to the Kineret in Israel (also known as Sea of Galilee) - and indeed, within 5 minutes I saw a road sign pointing to Galilee - guess I wasn't the first with that thought.

I stopped on the shore of the lake and tried taking some pictures. But due to the clouds, they all came out gray, showing the same empty lake, with cloud-covered mountains in the background.

The town to stay in is South Lake Tahoe. It's right after the state line, so I guess it's considered California. It looks nice and touristy, with access to both the lake and a ski site (if you're into hurtling yourself down a snowy mountain ). I'll try to stay there for my next Lake Tahoe trip - and there will be another one.

On the way back I did try to take the Reno River Walk - but was not too impressed. Well, you can't have all your trips be amazing, otherwise, how would you appreciate the truly exceptional ones?