http://web.archive.org/web/19970706101420/www.mpp.com/mission.html

Now that brings back memories... Thanks Ducky.

MPP was where I got my start working in the computer industry, way back when I was still in high school, about 12 years ago. Wow, I feel old now... 

Past few weeks have been rather exciting for us folks who own a Mac, yet run Windows on it.

First we see the release of MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5.1, which I'm happy to report resolves the issue in Vista where from boot, Vista doesn't show the appropriate power source being applied. Basically for the non-techie folk out there, if you booted into Vista, had the power adapter plugged in, Vista didn't know it till you unplugged and replugged the power adapter. A minor annoyance to be sure, but an annoyance none the less.

Second we see the release of Boot Camp Update 2.1, for all current versions of Windows, INCLUDING 64bit Vista, which is new if I recall. The previous versions of Boot Camp prior to this release were all targeted at 32bit versions of Windows. Head on over to the Apple Support Downloads page to find and download Boot Camp 2.1 for Vista 32 and 64bit as well as for XP.

The only thing that's been bugging me for a while is the fact I can't find a change log or a list of bugs fixed for these updates. Can anyone help with that?

Just a friendly reminder to my US based readers that DST starts 2am March 9th! So set your clocks 1 hour ahead.

Starting in 2007, most of the United States and Canada observe DST from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, almost two-thirds of the year.

NIN has made available the first 9 tracks from the Ghosts I-IV album for free. Looks like they will be DRM free high quality 320kbps MP3 files. I had problems with the ordering system taking my Hotmail address(said it wasn't valid), so if you have that problem try a different address.

Update: Looks like the site is down because they got more then 3 times the traffic they anticipated. Woops! I wasn't able to complete the download, so I have yet to actually listen to any of it. However, you can buy the whole thing, thats 36 tracks, over at Amazon.com for $5. Not bad! You can also find those first 9 free tracks over at thepiratebay.org, so fire up your favorite bittorent client and tell me what you think.

That just makes my blood boil. If its true, I'm glad I'm not a Comcast customer...

After HDDVD Drop Toshiba Spends 835M to Back PS3

Makes you wonder about Sony's business practices doesn't it?

Anyone who has tried playing FFXI on Vista with an Nvidia based video card has shared my pain. Painfully slow frame rates when drawing just a few character models on the screen. Nothing helped, not even lowering resolutions and cutting back on rendering distance etc. Looks like Nvidia has finally fessed up and done something to fix it. Click here for the downloads on Nvidia's FTP site. The files that start with "169.17" are the ones you are interested in.

Now if you have a laptop, these drivers will NOT install straight from Nvidia, but no fear, here comes Laptopvideo2go.com to the rescue:

v169.17 XP 64bit
v169.17 XP 32bit
v169.17 Vista 64bit
v169.17 Vista 32bit

Click here for information on how to install the drivers with Laptopvideo2go's modded INFs. I have personally tested the Vista 32bit driver with their modded INF for Vista 32bit on my Macbook Pro which has a Nvidia 8600M GT, and FFXI is playing beautifully! Still get the typical lag in OVERLY crowded areas, such as around the event moogle in town for the Starlight Celebration, but that happened for me in XP too. Campaign battles from the Wings expansion in Jugner Forest (S) are actually playable now! One tip I do have even with these drivers, turn off shadows for even better frame rates. Still not perfect, but hopefully Nvidia's final release drivers will have this bug squished.