All This and Everything Else

DVD Review: The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

2009-04-29T09:32:00.000-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

The Day The Earth Stood Still three-disk edition is the latest release of the 2008 version of the classic 1951 movie of the same name. This version comes with a copy of the original black and white, a copy of the 2008 remake, and a version that can be loaded to personal players and computers.

The basic story line of the 2008 version is the same as the original. A humanoid alien visitor named Klaatu comes to earth with a warning that he must give to all of the earth's leaders. The warning is that if we don't change, it could result in the earth the human race being eliminated. Much of the situation that occurred in the original version occurs in the remake, including Klaatu being shot, taken into custody, and escaping to move among the earthlings.

Beyond this, the representations of the two stories are drastically different. In fact this could be called a tale of two movies. The original classic is well done, has a great cast including Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, and Lock Martin. The storyline is well thought out and there is the right balance of acting, tension, and realism to make it believable. The quality of the video and the sound are re-mastered very well for a film more than 55 years old.

The 2008 version, which stars Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, and Jaden Smith, is not so good. I can't quite decide if it is meant to be a political statement, to sell products, or a vehicle to show how many special effects can be done in a single movie. One thing I can say is that it is a mess

First, the acting was substandard. To me Reeves is an actor who, in the right role like Matrix, or Speed, can be very good. In a bad role such as here, he is flat and uninspiring. It was to the point of it being painful to watch. Connelly is good, but her role as a scientist/step mother to an even more annoying child (more on this in a minute) is nothing near as good as Neal's role in the original. This has more to do with the role itself than Connelly's acting abilities.

Jaden Smith's character was downright horrible. He plays Connelly's stepson, who is constantly complaining, whining, and rude. His father was killed in the war, and this is clearly a political statement about George Bush's wars. They even go on to make the point that he wasn't a soldier but only a builder. The child is constantly doing things that causes everyone trouble. It was one of those roles that made me want to scream at the screen. He is nothing like the endearing child in the original.
Another problem I had concerns product placement. It seems like every five minutes there was an advertisement for a product like Apple, Honda, Coke and all sorts of logos. There is even a five minute segment filmed in a McDonalds. It was ridiculous.

Then there is the whole global warming thing. In the original, the reason for the aliens' visit was because we had atomic technology which could threaten to kill off humanity if left unchecked. In this remake, they come because we have created global warming? They claim that there are few planets that can support life and we are ruining this one. Hello! Does anyone not think that wiping three billion humans off the planet won't have some consequences to the ecosystem?

The final problem was with the special effects. It is obvious that the producer and director did not understand the original. Beyond the great story and acting, the reason the original worked so well was the combination of limited the special effects and the power of the story itself. Yes, the effects they had available in 1951 were limited, but they used just enough to drive the story. Here the special effects take control at the expense of the story. While some were done quite well, there were just too many and without purpose.

There are a lot of bonus features that come with the DVD set, including "Klaatu's Unseen Artifacts," "Build Your Own GORT," "Deleted Scenes," "Re-Imagining the Day," "Unleashing GORT," "Watching the Skies—In Search of Extraterrestrial Life," "The Day the Earth was Green," and, "Audio Commentary by Writer David Scarpa."

Bottom line is that The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008) is a movie that I could not wait to end. Even if there had been no original with which to compare it, this would have been a bad movie. I can accept a movie, even if it is political, as long as it is entertaining. I can't if it is annoying, preachy, and it tries to take on a classic. The one redeeming quality of this edition is that you do get a copy of the original. If you look at the rest of the disks as bonus features, it makes it an acceptable deal. I give it two stars.

Technorati Tags: Movie,DVD,Science Fiction

Book Review: The Story Of AC/DC: Let There Be Rock, 2nd Edition by Susan Masino

2009-04-27T09:29:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

With the release of their first album in eight years, there was bound to be a resurgence of interest in AC/DC and their 30-plus year history. In The Story Of AC/DC: Let There Be Rock , author Susan Masino updates her biography and documents the band's history which began in Sydney, Australia in the early 1970s all the way through the new Black Ice album, released October 2008.

While The Story Of AC/DC was first published in 2006, it has been updated to include what the band has been doing in the last three years. Masino first met the band during their first American tour in 1977. Over the years she has remained in contact with them and interviewed them many times.

The book begins with the story of the Young's, who were actually born in Scotland, and their move to Australia under the Assisted Passage Scheme of 1947 which, because of job scarcity, allowed them to move for a nominal fee. The book follows their rise first in Australia - and then the world.

First, what I liked about the book is that it is very well researched, and the author is very knowledgeable about the band. As with any good book on a topic like this, there much insight that is to be gained from its reading.

One of the things that I had previously known included the fact that Malcolm and Angus Young's older brother George first broke on to the music charts with "Friday on my Mind," which hit number 16 in the U.S. charts and number 6 in the U.K. What I didn't know was the impact it was to have on AC/DC.

Another is that Angus Young, the one in the school boy knickers' gyrating around the stage, is a teetotaler. He has never touched anything stronger than a cigarette. The book also includes background on how the whole schoolboy thing came about and some of the other colorful costumes that were tried before he settled on this one.

There are a lot of good tidbits about the band, the history, and other insights into one of the most popular hard rock bands of all time. There are also a lot of pictures of the band throughout this time and this version also comes with a CD that includes interviews with each member. This even includes the late Bon Scott, with the interview was done in 1977.

The main thing that I had a problem with in The Story Of AC/DC is that throughout there are what I call cut-outs. This is where the author inserts comments by using italics. This seems to break the flow of thought. I wish that she would have incorporated these pieces of information as part of the dialog of the general book. It sometimes seems that she is first fan, then biographer.

Outside of that, I found it to be a good read. The book covers pretty much every aspect of the band's history. I do think that you will get a good appreciation for the band and the fact that they had to work hard to get where they got to and even then, life dealt them blows that could have done in lesser bands. If you want to learn more about the life and times of AC/DC then The Story Of AC/DC: Let There Be Rock 2nd Edition is a good place to start.

Graphic Audio Review: The Green Lantern: Hero's Quest By Dennis O'Neil, Based On The Series From DC Comics

2009-04-03T10:53:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

Before I start, The Green Lantern: Hero's Quest is somewhat of a controversial story because it chronicles a parallel universe take on The Green Lantern and his history. I am not going to discuss the take on the story, but rather the quality of the story itself.

In this universe, the Kyle Rayner is a lazy slacker. He is an underachiever who lives in the basement of a disgusting building, and barely has food to eat. He is a graphic designer who has little hope for the future. One night, while at a nightclub, he goes out into the alley for some fresh air and is confronted by a little blue being who gives him a Green Lantern ring, and from there his life is changed forever.

Different from the other JLA Graphic Audio books I have reviewed here in the past, The Green Lantern: Hero's Quest is told in first person. In fact, at first, the way the book starts was a little shocking.

As the story went on, I became more comfortable with the difference and once again I was treated to a Graphic Audio performance that really brings you into the story. The combination of sound effects and artistic vocal performances creates what Graphic Audio calls a “Movie in your Mind” and is truly what The Green Lantern: Hero's Quest is.

When the Justice League of America (JLA) learns of the existence of a new super hero, they are concerned, and so one day Superman shows up at Kyle's apartment to determine his intent. Kyle is then invited to come to the JLA satellite to meet the other super heroes and is eventually invited to work with the JLA on a trial basis and is given a special button for being summoned.

Kyle receives a call to come to the JLA satellite, and as soon as he arrives the satellite disappears. He is now called into question by Batman about the disappearance. He now must determine if he is willing to take on the challenge to be a hero. To do so, he must take it upon himself to find out the origins of The Green Lanterns, find out what happened to Earth's original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, and perhaps even save the universe.

As I said before this story is different from the others. While overall it is entertaining, it is a bit uneven and slow at times. But because it is character-driven, and is told from the first person point of view, you get real insight into the mind of Kyle Rayner. As the story goes on, you find that you are caught up and can't let go. Then of course there are the performances of the actors that give it that movie feel.

The quality of The Green Lantern: Hero's Quest and performance are the reason I will be coming back to Graphic Audio products. By using a whole cast — over 20 performers — you don't get one person trying to sound like many different voices, you get unique individual characters. It is this that makes it great.

You can also check out some of their other series as well. If you want you can listen to a sample, or purchase the GraphicAudio Book from their on-line Store. The story comes three ways: standard CD (the version I reviewed), MP3 CD, and downloadable WMA with digital rights management.

Technorati Tags: Audio Book,DC Comics,Green Lantern

Graphic Audio Review - Wonder Woman - Mythos By Carol Lay, Based on the Series from DC Comics

2009-02-19T07:48:00.001-06:00

When a honeymooning couple, diving near the Bermuda Triangle, find a strange island, the husband becomes strange. It is when the man discovers the male counterpart to Themyscria or Wonder Woman's Paradise Island that he becomes really distant. When the wife's oxegen supply becomes damaged, he sends her back while he continues to explore. When the wife returns back to their boat, the island is no longer there, and she cannot find her husband.

When Wonder Woman finds out about the missing man, she decides that a trip home to help in the search is exactly what is needed. But when she discovers that there is an island that mirrors her own Themyscria, containing only men instead, it sets in motion things that are beyond her control.

Once again I was treated to a Graphic Audio performance that really brings you into the story. The combination of sound effects and artistic vocal performances creates what Graphic Audio calls a "Movie in your Mind" and that is truly what Wonder Woman - Mythos is.

As always, the Justice League of America (JLA) is there to help when things get out of hand, but this time even Superman, Flash, and Green Lighting succumb to the powers of the all male island. When Superman is commanded to capture Wonder Woman, he has to do as he is commanded.

I really like this series of the JLA books. I like the fact that they spend some time developing the backgrounds of the characters of the Justice League. There is also a good balance between focusing on the Wonder Woman and still keeping the others of the JLA involved.

The story builds slowly and deliberately without feeling slow or paced. There is action from the beginning, but it is a natural build where everything is taken in steps. Soon you find that you are caught up and can't let go. Then, of course, there are the performances of the actors that give it that movie feel.

The quality of the story and performance are the reason that I will be coming back to Graphic Audio products. By using a whole cast, over 20 performers, you don't get one person trying to sound like many different voices; you get unique individual characters. It is this that makes it great.

You can also check out some of their other series as well. If you want you can listen to a sample, or purchase the GraphicAudio Book from their on-line Store. The story comes three ways; standard CD (the version I reviewed), MP3 CD and downloadable WMA with digital rights management.

Technorati Tags: Graphic Audio,Wonder Woman,JLA,Justice League of America

Music Review: Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys - The Tiffany Transcriptions

2009-01-24T08:31:00.001-06:00

Technorati Tags: Bob Wills,Texas Playboys,Music

Written by T. Michael Testi

While Bob Wills had been playing music since he was a very young child in Texas, it wasn't until he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1934 that he formed "The Texas Playboys." It was here that they began broadcasting noontime shows over the 50,000 watt KVOO radio station. Their Monday through Friday shows became an institution in the area. They also played every Thursday and Saturday nights at Cain's Ballroom which was where the broadcasts where recorded at as well.

From 1935 to 1938 Wills refined his band, and their sound by adding musicians like steel guitar wizard Leon McAuliffe as well as horn, reed, and drum players to the mix. In 1940, they released "New San Antonio Rose" and it sold over a million records becoming the signature song of the Texas Playboys. Because they were a two-in-one unit; a small fiddle band, and a swinging big band, they could play a wide range of music from big band, western, swing, pop, and Dixieland.

After a brief stint in the Army, he moved the Texas Playboys to Hollywood and continued to refine the sound of the band. Because of the great depression, World War II, and the great dustbowl, they found a lot of fans from Oklahoma and Texas that had relocated and were an enormous draw in California. During this time Wills also began making more creative use of electric guitars.

In 1944, Cliff Johnson, a staff announcer for Oakland's KLX radio station and someone who disliked anything country, was asked by management to "take one for the team." They wanted him to host a western show. After finding himself volunteered, he took on the moniker "Cactus Jack" and began playing what little country and western music that the station's library had.

It was at this time that a friend introduced him to Wills music. They lent him a cardboard box full of Wills records and when he began playing them, the station was deluged with requests. After listening to so much of this music, soon Johnson was hooked. Wills found out about Cactus Jack and soon the DJ was promoting Wills and the Playboys around the bay area.

In 1945 Wills, Cactus Jack, and businessman-songwriter Clifford Sundin founded Tiffany Music, Inc. to create a series of transcriptions; pre-packaged radio shows featuring Wills and his Texas Playboys. The goal was to sell these shows to subscribing stations who would present them with local advertisers. This steady series of programs would require the band to record scores of tunes, not just their hits, and bandstand repertoire, but entirely new songs, and at a record pace.

They revisited their old recordings, wrote new ones, covered tunes from other acts, and just make stuff up on the spot. Quite often they would record the session's right after a tour while they were playing at the top of their form. The Tiffany Transcriptions are these recordings that took place during 1946-47 and since they were recorded on 16 inch vinyl disks, the had more freedom to perform than they did on the more restricted 78 rpm singles that were tradition at the time.

The Tiffany Transcriptions is a box-set that contains 10-disks covering 150 songs. This is the first time that this collection has been put together as a set and it contains written testimonials from those that Wills music inspired. These include people like Ray Benson from Asleep at the Wheel and Ranger Doug from Riders in the Sky.

As I said this is a 10 disk set and each disk is packaged in an individual sleeve that contains the album cover, liner notes from various individuals either about the sessions, or about how the sessions and Wills influenced them, and photos. There is also information on the sessions such as who was there, where and when it was recorded, and on the back is the listing of all of the songs. There is also a 16 page booklet with more information on the history of the sessions.

I was always a fan of the later generations of Western Swing such as Asleep at the Wheel, and while I had heard some of Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, and liked what I had heard, I was not familiar with what I would now call the "true" sound of Bob Wills. After listing to The Tiffany Transcriptions I found that I absolutely loved this aspect of the music.

The quality of the recordings is very good considering the time and equipment that was available around in the mid-forties. They have that natural radio sound to them that makes them take on a nostalgic tone. Don't get me wrong, the recordings themselves are very clear and clean.

Because of the nature of the recordings and how they were performed, the songs themselves give off a "live" feel and are less restricted than their Columbia and MGM counterpart releases that Wills put out during this time. Most seem to agree that this sound reflects more of their live performances. I would agree that there is a lot of natural energy to these recordings.

If you like the music of Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, if you like country music, western swing, big band, or old time music, you will absolutely love The Tiffany Transcriptions. Even if you don't like one or all of the above, I suspect, that like Cactus Jack, if you start listening to it, you will find yourself liking it. For this I have to give it five stars. Go get it!

Video Training Review: Dreamweaver CS4 Essential Training with James Williamson from Lynda.com

2008-12-30T10:28:00.000-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

Dreamweaver is the Web development application from Adobe Systems and to get the most out of the program, it's important not only to master the application, but also to understand fundamental concepts of modern Web design.

Dreamweaver CS4 Essential Training attempts to do just that. In this training series, James Williamson covers everything from site structure to the value of standards-compliant XHTML and CSS. He also shows how to create clean and accessible code in Dreamweaver, as well as how to publish compelling content. This course lasts 10.25 hours divided into 18 lessons.

Lessons 1-3 cover the basics of Dreamweaver. This includes the theory of basic site structure, what is an index page, an overview of Web design practices, and explanations of XHTML, JavaScript, and CSS. You will also get an overview of the Dreamweaver interface, as well as a lesson on setting up and managing a site.

Lessons 4 and 5 gets you started with the creation of new documents, what DOCTYPE declarations are, setting up new document preferences, and how to work with starter pages. You then learn the basics of adding text and structuring content, creating lists, getting text into Dreamweaver, and importing Word documents.

Lesson 6, "CSS Foundations," now goes to the heart of the fundamentals of using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Understanding some simple rules of using CSS will help you create more efficient style sheets. Here you will explore the anatomy of a CSS rule, setting the preferences, understanding the selectors, and working with external style sheets.

Lesson 7, "Controlling Typography," is important so as to have the ability to get your point across. In this lesson you will see the units of measurement that Dreamweaver will provide for you use. These include font sizing, weight, and style as well as line height, vertical spacing, padding, and alignment of text.

Lesson 8, "Working with Images," begins with how best to manage your images. In Dreamweaver, these are called assets and it is very important for you to manage them so that you can find them when you need them. You will also see how to place them on a page, customize them via CSS, integrate with Photoshop, and even alternate Photoshop workflows.

Lesson 9, "Creating Links," explains that without links, working with the Web would be a pretty tedious task. So creating links is very important for the structure and flow of your site. In this lesson you will see how to create links, set preferences, how to use named anchors, and how to create CSS-based rollovers.

Lesson 10, "Controlling Layout with CSS," will show you that although you may be intimidated in using CSS, that it is in fact easier to control a site by using CSS than it would be otherwise. This is all accomplished by using proper site layout. You will start with the basics, and then learn about structuring and various types of positioning.

Lesson 11, "Working with Tables," examines that while tables are out of favor for creating layouts, they are still needed for the presentation of tabular data, and in fact are one of the best ways of presenting this kind of data to the user. You will begin by reviewing table structure, importing data, styling tables, and adding user interactivity to tables.

Lesson 12, "Working with Forms," starts out with how forms work. Forms are one of those things that allow a user to pass information to your site. While this does not get into processing form data, it does show you how to create assessable forms, set their properties, insert fields, lists, radio button groups, checkboxes, text, and submit buttons. It also covers some form interactivity and the use of Spry validation widgets.

Lesson 13, "Building Templates," is a two step process. First you save the file as a template, and then you save the editable regions. In this lesson you will learn how to properly build a template by proper planning, creating new pages from the template, applying templates to existing pages, and modifying a template.

Lesson 14, "Adding User Interactivity," is important in that it allows you to create engaging user experiences for those who come to your site. You must meet the enhanced user expectations for site design if you plan on retaining the user. Here you will learn about different things that you can do enhance user interactivity.

Lesson 15, "Working with Flash and Video," is very important to a Web site, and the fact that Flash and Dreamweaver have worked together for a very long time makes it very convenient. Here you will see how to insert Flash files, set the properties, and how to encode your video for best performance. Lesson 16, "Automating Efficient Workflows," is all about helping you work smarter when using Dreamweaver. Here you will learn some important tasks to accomplish your job.

Lesson 17, "Coding in Dreamweaver," show you how to edit your code by hand when you need to in Dreamweaver. Here you will learn to set code preferences, use hints, add comments, and find syntax errors. Lesson 18, "Managing Sites," examines what you need to do to run your site, to check for broken links, handle browser compatibility, and synchronize your site.

James Williamson does a very thorough job of taking you though most everything you need to work with Dreamweaver CS4. Now if you are and old hand to Dreamweaver and really only need to know about the new features, there is also a two-hour package called Dreamweaver CS4 New Features from Lynda.com as well by the same instructor.

You can get this package one of two ways. One is as a DVD training package Dreamweaver CS4 Essential Training and the other is part of the online training experience at Lynda.com. The DVD Training Package is $149.95 USD and includes Dreamweaver CS4 Essential Training as well as containing all of the exercise files.

The online training Dreamweaver CS4 Essential Training comes in three flavors. Monthly at $25/month gets you all of the videos that are available online (approximately 21,811 videos on 318 topics at this time). Annually at $250 per year or Premium at $375 per year which get all the videos as well as all of the exercise files. Take note that the exercise files are not included with the monthly or annual subscriptions. They are included in the Premium subscriptions and the standalone DVDs.

You can use Dreamweaver CS4 Essential Training as a training program for the individual student, as well as the college or vocational teacher looking to supplement their educational materials. It is of benefit to anyone who needs help understanding Dreamweaver CS4. You can also try out a couple of the videos for free at Lynda.com.

Technorati Tags: Adobe,Dreamweaver,Web Development

Software Review: Adobe Master Collection - Premiere Pro CS4 from Adobe Systems

2008-12-29T09:33:00.000-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

This is a series of reviews that will cover what is contained in the Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) Master Collection. When Adobe released CS4 this fall, they not only released single version products, but also six separate suites of products. They are Design Premium, Design Standard, Web Premium, Web Standard, Production Premium, and Master Collection. You can go online to compare what is contained in each version. The goal of this series it to define what each product does and provide information of what the new version brings to the table.

What do you need to run Adobe Premiere Pro CS4? On a PC you need a 2GHz or faster processor, Windows XP SP2 or Vista; on Mac, PowerPC G4 or G5 or multicore Intel processor, Mac OS X v10.4.11 – 10.5.4 (Leopard), 512MB RAM, 1024x768 display (1280x800 recommended) with 16-bit video card, 10GB hard drive space for installation and DVD-ROM Drive.

Adobe Premiere Pro is a real-time, timeline-based video editing software application. It has gained acceptance within the film and video industry and has been used in part in such films as Dust to Glory by Dana Brown and Superman Returns for the video capture process and so, as the name implies, it is a professional-level editing package.

Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 attempts to reduce the complex process that is video production. It does this by including copies of the products Adobe OnLocation CS4 and Adobe Encore CS4 to try to make each step of the video production more efficient and giving you more time to work your story.

So what is new with Premiere Pro CS4?

• End-to-End metadata workflow – will let you add metadata to clips both on set with Adobe OnLocation, and while editing via Premiere. This will give your workflow greater project intelligence as you can use the new speech recognition technology to create text-based metadata that you can use to organize your assets.

• Speech Search – this technology offers you the ability to turn the spoken dialog in your clips into text-based metadata which will make your video searchable. No more hand entering key words. Now through voice analysis, keywords can be automatically added, allowing you jump directly to the frame that you are after.

• Tapeless Camera Support – now lets you use video that has been captured directly to disk and opens the door to new workflows that save time and maintain a higher quality throughout the production process. You can now import and edit content from Panasonic P2, Sony XDCAM EX, and HD cameras directly, which will save you a tremendous amount of time.

• Dynamic workflow – use in conjunction with other Adobe tools gives a more tightly integrated toolset in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4. For example, this will eliminate intermediate rendering when moving sequences into Adobe Encore CS4 software, and take advantage of new support for Adobe Photoshop files with video and blend modes.

• Batch encoding - in the background using Adobe Media Encoder, a separate, included software application that automates the process of creating multiple encoded versions of your source files and sequences. You have the ability to manage priorities and control advanced settings for individual files.

• Redesigned OnLocation – is now cross-platform with a new Adobe-standard interface. Save time and take the tedium out of logging with shot lists and metadata-based project intelligence. Now you can take your footage right in and it can automatically be logged for you.

• Editing Efficiency – now available through the inclusion of more than 50 new editing enhancements provided to streamline your workflow. Things like applying an effect to multiple clips, applying multiple effects to multiple clips, copy and paste transitions, and more precise editing and communications with clients based on the use of timecodes is all here to help you be more efficient.

• Blu-ray Disc authoring – now lets you create high-definition Blu-ray discs with Encore CS4. Working with the same interface used to create standard-definition DVDs, but now incorporating advanced Blu-ray features like pop-up menus and subtitles and dual-layer burning.

• SWF output – gives you the ability to create SWF file versions of your DVD and Blu-ray projects for the Web, complete with DVD interactivity, menus, URL links, and customizable HTML templates, all without opening another application.

• Final Cut Pro project import – will let you complete your Final Cut Pro project in Adobe Premiere Pro. Use Final Cut Pro XML interchange to transfer projects directly from Final Cut Pro to Adobe Premiere Pro without conversion or re-rendering. It will preserve your commonly used effects and transitions.

Premiere Pro CS4 is really a major upgrade to an already great product. Significant in this release is the ability to import and edit AVCHD Files. This is huge with regard to the new camcorders that are coming out. The increased integration into the Adobe family of products is also welcomed. For example, no longer do you have to render your Premiere Pro timeline before you can bring your video into Encore. The time you will save with this one feature alone will pay for the upgrade many times over.

The interface change to OnLocation is a welcome feature as well. No longer do you have to deal with the cumbersome methods of the previous version. Also welcome for Mac users is a native version of OnLocation.

The metadata is another prominent feature. The ability to view and input information about a clip or its source is fantastic. You can store and track copyright information and much, much more. And it can be taken through the workflow. Add to this the Speech transcription; Adobe calls it metalogging. It analyzes a selected clips audio and translates the words to the metadata panel. There are several languages that it can transcribe, including four varieties of English.

Then there is the Media Encoder that allows you to batch process media files, you can convert a MP4 file into Flash, and in fact it automates the whole process of creating multiple encoded versions of your source files. While there may not be a lot flashy, high profile new features, filters, etc, there are a whole lot of time-saving, workflow streamlining advantages that come with Premiere Pro CS4. These alone make it worth the upgrade and so I highly recommend Premiere Pro CS4.

Technorati Tags: Adobe,Premiere,Premier Pro,Video,Production

Software Review: Microsoft Expression Studio 2 - Expression Web 2

2008-12-26T09:14:00.000-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

This is the first of a series of three reviews that will cover what is contained in the Microsoft Expression Studio 2 Collection. Expression Studio is the latest version of Microsoft's development design set. In Studio 2, there are five programs that are geared to Web and application developers and designers. The products include Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design, Expression Media, and Expression Encoder. The goal is define what each product does and provide information of what it can do for you.

What do you need to run Expression Studio 2? On Windows you need an 1GHz or faster processor, Windows XP SP2 or Vista; on Mac, a PowerPC® or multi-core Intel processor, Mac OS X v10.4.11 – 10.5.4 (Leopard), 1GB RAM, 1024x768 display (1280x800 recommended) with a 24-bit video card, 2GB hard drive space, and DVD-ROM Drive.

Here I will look at Microsoft Expression Web 2. Expression Web is a HTML Editor and general Web design program that was developed to replace Microsoft FrontPage. It is targeted toward professional Web site developers. It allows the authoring of Web pages using XML, CSS, ASP.NET, XHTML, XSLT, and JavaScript. Differing from FrontPage, it uses its own rendering engine, and contains accurate standards compliant rendering.

In Expression Web 2, you have an editing screen that toggles between design screen, straight code, and split screen with the editing screen at the bottom. While it retains some similarities to FrontPage, it really is totally different under the hood. Instead of inserting jacked up tags and code, it really builds nice CSS-based code that is easy to maintain. It is also pretty easy to build larger sites by using templates.

So what is new with Expression Web 2?

• PHP Support – now will let you work with PHP sites and provide the standards-based features to this platform. You can just open up a PHP page and start creating. You get syntax color coding and full InteleSence control to help you choose functions and global variables, as well as tool tips that provide information about parameters. Once you have PHP on your system, you can also preview your pages locally without having to upload to a server.

• ASP.NET Support – has been enhanced as well to not only support ASP.NET 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008, but AJAX support as well. AJAX is the essential technology for creating a modern state of the art site in which the full page refresh is no longer needed and gives it a more responsive, dynamic feel. You can now work with any ASP.NET Control as well.

• Photoshop Support – will let you import a Photoshop PSD file and choose what layers are converted. You can also re-edit the file in Photoshop and easily update your Web optimized graphic file. When you insert the PSD file, Expression Web will optimize it for Web use, and any time you change the PSD file, it will automatically re-optimize it using the update from source functionality.

• Silverlight, Flash, and Windows Media Support – gives you the ability to add rich Internet applications to your Web pages by using a simple insert command, or via drag and drop. Expression Web will make sure that your content is standards-based when it is added to your page. You can use Flash, Windows Media, or Microsoft's new cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering rich media, and interactive applications.

I found that Expression Web 2 was very intuitive and easy to use. I especially like the fact that it creates pretty efficient Web sites and doesn’t add a lot of bloat like FrontPage used to. The opening up to non-Microsoft platforms is great. The ability to work with PHP and Photoshop are an enormous plus, as are the updates to work with the latest and greatest Visual Studio (2008).

If you order the Expression Studio 2 Subscription, you not only get the five products in the Studio, you also get a copy of Microsoft Windows Vista, and a copy of Microsoft Visual Studio Standard Edition as well, along with a year worth of updates.

One thing that I had a problem with is that I installed the demo, signed up for the subscription, and they sent me a set of permanent disks. The problem I had was that I then had to uninstall the demo to install the live version. It would have been better if I could have just put in a key, but in the overall scheme, not a biggie. On the upside from this problem was that I called tech support, and the person was very helpful in explaining what I needed to do.

I think that if you are into Web development, and especially if you work with Microsoft products, then I can easily recommend Microsoft Expression Web 2.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Expression Studio,Expression Web,Web Development

Software Review: Camtasia Studio 6 from TechSmith

2008-12-25T09:08:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

So what is Camtasia Studio? It is the premiere screen recording system on the market today, and it has just gotten better with the release of Camtasia Studio 6. It is a complete software solution for creating high-quality training videos, presentations, and screencasts that can be shared on the Web, CD-ROM, as well as on portable media players such as the iPod.

Camtasia Studio 6 runs on Microsoft Windows XP or Vista, requires DirectX 9.0 or later, 1.0GHz Processor (2.5GHz is recommended and needed for PowerPoint and camera recordings), 500MB RAM (2GB recommended), 115MB of hard drive space. There are other specialized requirements for specific needs.

TechSmith started out in 1987 as a custom software company who developed for the Windows platform. Responding to a demand for screen capture utilities, they created SnagIt in 1991. Over time, SnagIt offered some video capture capabilities and these eventually became Camtasia in 1999. In 2002, it became Camtasia Studio, which was enhanced with a suite of tools. In November 2008, the latest version — Camtasia Studio 6 — was released.

What does Camtasia Studio actually do? It automatically records exactly what a user sees on the screen. It records what they say, and how they interact with any Windows-based application or Web site. It can be used to record training videos, marketing information, or support instruction.

Once you have your video recorded, Camtasia Studio 6 has the tools that will allow you to edit your video and share it in a variety of formats. These include Flash (SWF), fixed media such as CD and DVD, as well as on portable media such as the iPod. If you want, you can see a short overview of Camtasia and how it can be used.

There were two main goals that Camtasia Studio wanted to address for this version. First were larger projects. As people became more comfortable with creating videos, they started creating larger ones. The larger they got, the more sluggish the editing became. The second area was as new technology keeps being introduced, Camtasia needed to create higher quality videos with smaller file sizes.

So what is new with Camtasia Studio 6?

• Finer control over effects – will help you get your timing down. You can control the duration of transitions and callout fades right down to a tenth of a second.

• Tilt Video effect – will give you the ability to let your videos pop! By being able to change the angle and bring some things closer to the screen and putting others in the background, you can force some items to grab attention where the attention is needed.

• Overhauled presets – like Web, blog, and iPod have been upgraded to have High Definition video capabilities. Three others — YouTube, HD display, and Screencast.com, which are new presets — also take advantage of the new format which replaces FLV. They all default to a MPEG-4 AVC (H.264 ACC) file coupled with a Flash player. This means the HD quality with the smallest file size possible.

• Edit MOV files – from a digital camera or previous project. You can now bring it into Camtasia Studio and edit it on the timeline. As long as it is a self-contained MOV file, you can edit it.

• Screencast.com – is the fast and easy way to get videos from Camtasia to the Web. With the new Screencast.com preset, you can direct content into your sharing folder of choice. What's better, you get a free 2GB storage, 2GB bandwidth account absolutely free.

Camtasia Studio 6 is an all-in-one solution for creating audio-video screencasts. You can import media, record from your screen, or record video from your Web cam. It provides the ability to include quizzes as well as other information into your presentation. It is SCORM compliant. There is also a PowerPoint plug-in that allows you to take your presentations and turn them into video form.

Camtasia Studio 6 also has a lot of tutorial videos (go figure) that break down specific topics and focus on helping you get up to speed fast. They also have on many of the screens a button that says "Assist Me" that will display instruction, and a button "Show Me" which will take you to a video about the topic. The latter really saves you time from having to try to find the tutorial somewhere else.

If you are looking to get into professional video creation, then Camtasia Studio 6 is the right product. If you own Camtasia Studio 5 should you upgrade to 6? In my opinion, the separate audio and video clips are worth every penny of the upgrade. This alone will save hours of editing/re-recording time. Add to that the better performance for working with larger recordings, the HD video ability, and the finer control over the effects all make it an easy decision to upgrade. I highly recommend Camtasia Studio 6.

• Separate audio and video tracks – will now let you detach your audio from your video so that you can fix mistakes much easier than ever before. So say you mispronounce a word during your recording. In the past you would have to either leave it in or re-record your video. Now you simply detach your audio from your video track, cut out the bad section, and drop in the new.

• Added hotkeys – will save you a lot of time. Now with seven customizable hot keys, if you want to add a callout to the current spot on the timeline, just hit "C" on your keyboard. If you want to zoom, hit the "Z" key.

Technorati Tags: Camtasia,Screen Capture,YouTube

Audio Book Review: JLA - Exterminators By Christopher Golden, Based On The Series From DC Comics

2008-09-16T12:01:00.001-06:00

By T. Michael Testi (Blogcritics.org , PhotographyToday, ATAEE)

JLA: Exterminators, which was first released in book form in 2004, starts in the early days of the Justice League when a strange metallic-tasting rain fell on the United Kingdom. A race of aliens appeared to be attacking Great Briton and the JLA did not really understand why, but after a time they were defeated — all except one whose head was kept on ice by British intelligence.

We then fast forward to the present when a surge of metahuman creatures begins to appear. What is triggering their appearance is not readily apparent, but soon we understand that it has something to do with that invasion of ten years ago.

Once again, I was treated to a Graphic Audio performance that really brings you into the story. The combination of sound effects and artistic vocal performances creates what Graphic Audio calls a "Movie in your Mind," and that is truly what JLA: Exterminators is.

At the time of that early rainstorm, when the newly formed Justice League was fighting the group of invading giants from outer space, their actions stopped the invading hoard, but did they do the right thing? Did they save the world, or just delayed the inevitable?

Now Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, The Green Lantern, and the rest of the Justice League of America must figure out what is going on with this new generation of metahumans — some good and some evil — and how to stop the destruction.

The questions to be answered are what caused this outbreak? How to stop it? And can they figure out what went wrong ten years ago? You will have to get the Graphic Audio program to find out!

One of the things that makes JLA: Exterminators work is the fact that while most of the DC comics are American-centric, this takes place in England — which gives it a refreshing edge. Also, the characters have some depth and emotion and as such, come across as three-dimensional. Finally, there is a character, Ian Partington, an ordinary Brit who develops super powers and then becomes friends with everyone in the JLA. The character development along this thread is just great and really makes this story work on many levels.

The quality of the story and performance is the reason that I will be coming back to Graphic Audio products. You can also check out some of their other series as well. If you want, you can listen to a sample, or purchase the Graphic Audio Book from their on-line Store. The story comes three ways: standard CD (the version I reviewed), MP3 CD and downloadable WMA with digital rights management.

Music Review: Grayson Capps - Rott 'N' Roll

2008-09-16T11:16:00.000-06:00

By T. Michael Testi (Blogcritics.org , PhotographyToday, ATAEE)

Born of the prostitutes, alcoholics, vagrants, and drifters that inhabit the music of Grayson Capps and the Stumpknockers, the term Rott 'N' Roll; as well as the title of his latest album, is a reflection of the style of music they create. The Southern soul, mixed with back-country stomp, and spiced with road-house blues, brings out a down home American appeal.

Grayson Capps first discovered music in Alabama where he was born and raised. His father and friends would sit around getting drunk, telling stories, and playing acoustic guitars to the songs of Hank Williams, Tom T. Hall, Woody Guthrie, and others. While on scholarship at Tulane University, he took up playing music. He formed two bands that had moderate success and even opened shows for the likes of Keith Richards and Crowded House.

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, Capps moved to Franklin Tennessee. With the need to produce a new album, he recorded Wail & Ride. While this album included his band the Stumpknockers, it also included other musicians and had a more studio sound and quality to it.

Rott 'N' Roll on the other hand, is more about capturing the real sound of Grayson Capps and The Stumpknockers. The album was made at his home studio in Franklin and many of the songs were done in single takes. The band features Tommy MacLuckie on Lead, Josh Kerin on Bass, and John Milham on Drums. The album was produced by Trina Shoemaker.

Rott 'N' Roll has a definite different feel to its predecessor Wail & Ride, yet it retains all of the quality of writing and musicianship. There is a certain feel that a group of musicians have when they have spent a lot of time on the road playing together night after night. Grayson Capps and the Stumpknockers have that sound.

The songwriting is as good as ever ranging from the simplistic "Sock Monkey;" which by the way was written by the lead guitarist Tommy MacLuckie, and is pure punk country fun, to the incredibly deep lyrics of the songs "Ike," "Arrowhead," "Guitar," and "The Waltz."

There are the songs that are there just for the fun of it such as "Grand Maw Maw" and "Big Ol' Woman;" both of which include a drunken chorus of rednecks whom it was said found their way to the sessions. There is also an insightful and very well done poem "Fear Fruit Bearing Tree" which goes to show what an articulate writer can do when making a biting political point.

Finally, there are the songs in which it really is the music that drives the them such as in the driving "Big Black Buzzard," the stomping "Sun Don't Shine on Willy," and the equally driving instrumental "Bacon."

What struck me most though, was that each piece had its own identity; its own personality and place on this album. Some grabbed you by the collar and made you take notice like "Back to the Country" with its complex lyrics and great tune. While others sneak up from behind like "Psychic Channel Blues" which builds and has some subtle, yet biting lead guitar licks and really worked for me.

What I like about Grayson Capps and The Stumpknockers is that it is not a manufactured sound. It comes across as genuine and edgy and totally unique. The songs paint pictures that leave indelible images in your mind. Of the thirteen tracks on Rott 'N' Roll, there was not one that I did not find a reason to enjoy for one reason or another. If you want some great down home southern blues with a bit of Rott 'N' Roll, then you need to give this album a spin.

Song list for Rott 'N' Roll

Back To The Country
Arrowhead
Gran Maw Maw
Psychic Cannel Blues
The Waltz
Big Black Buzzard
Ike
Sun Don't Shine on Willy
Big Ole Woman
Guitar
Fear Fruit Bearing Tree
Sock Monkey
Bacon

Software Review - SnagIt 9 from TechSmith

2008-07-29T11:16:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

SnagIt 9 is the latest release of TechSmith's screen capture program. With this version there have been quite a number of changes since the previous iteration, and this time it is really as much of a makeover as it is an upgrade. In fact, they have rebuilt SnagIt from the ground up.

SnagIt 9 runs on Microsoft Windows 2000 or later, requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, 1 GHz Processor (2.4 GHz is recommended), 512 MB RAM (1 GB Recommended), and 60 MB of Hard Drive space.

TechSmith originally started out in 1987 as a custom software company who developed for the Windows platform. Responding to a demand for screen capture utilities, they created SnagIt in 1991. Over time, SnagIt offered some video capture capabilities and these, in turn, became Camtasia in 1999. The current version of SnagIt (9.0) was released in June 2008.

SnagIt enables Windows computer users to capture anything they see on the screen. You can then edit and combine those screenshots and share them by using your favorite applications including Microsoft Office and via e-mail.

With SnagIt, if you can see it, you can capture it. Depending on the mode that you use it in, you can capture a small section of a screen, a whole window, multiple windows, or a whole scrolling webpage. There are 11 preset buttons that let you target what you want to capture, whether it's just a region, some text, or the whole enchilada. You can even create your own custom presets.

SnagIt lets you edit your captures by adding things like text and arrows, highlighting sections of your image. You can output to a printer, clipboard, file, e-mail, PDF, and Flash as well.

So what is new with SnagIt 9?

• New more fluid workflow – replaced the old linear workflow and now gives much more freedom to use SnagIt the way you want to. If you want to capture screen after screen, you can without having to save each shot before you go on to the next. If you want to capture and edit, you can. This is one of my favorite updated features to this version.

• Combining multiple images – now much easier using the open captures tray. You can drag and drop screen captures on to the canvas and make your edits, enhancements, and off you go.

• Auto store – a complement to the fluid workflow in that you can just capture, capture, capture. Everything is now stored for you. No longer do you have to save and rename before the next capture. When you are done, you can handle it all then. So much easier than ever before!

• Visual Search pane – now keeps track of what you have captured so you don't have to. If you can remember a detail like when you captured it or from what Web site, SnagIt will help you find it.

• Tags & Flags – lets you mark your projects so that when you are ready to put them all tog

ether you can find them. No need storing them in separate folders; just tag and flag them.

• New editing interface – heck it is a total UI makeover and makes it look and work in the new Microsoft Office 2007 ribbon style menu interface. One of the more challenging aspects of this version is figuring where things are now compared to the prior version, but once you get use to it, it is a snap.

SnagIt 9 is one of the most comprehensive and powerful screen capture applications available for Windows. It offers a lot of tools for organizing, simplifying, and editing your captures. It is incredibly easy to use, is customizable, and offers multiple views.

I work online a lot and I find that it is much easier to grab a screenshot, mark it up, and send it to someone than it is to try to describe something. If you prefer to try it before you buy it then there is a 30-day trial available. To purchase it new, it is $49.95 for a single user license. If you own a prior version it is $24.95 to upgrade. But until August 12, 2008, it is only $19.95.

If you find yourself capturing screenshots on a regular basis, then owning SnagIt 9 is a must. This is highly recommended.

Technorati Tags: SnagIt,Screen Capture,Software,Images

Software Review: XMLSpy 2008 From Altova

2008-07-24T13:42:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

MLSpy 2008 is the latest version of Altova's integrated development environment (IDE) for XML. XMLSpy allows programmers to create XML-based applications and Web services in a more dynamic and easier to understand environment. The version that I am reviewing is XMLSpy 2008 release 2 which came out on May 7, 2008 and it is based on the Enterprise version. There is also a Professional version and if you would like to view the differences between the two, you can check out the feature comparison list.

What is XMLSpy 2008? It is a XML development environment for designing, editing, and debugging enterprise class applications that involve XML, XML Schema, XSL/XSLT, XQuery, SOAP, WSDL, and Web service technologies. Its aim is to be a productivity enhancer for J2EE, .NET, and database developers. Along with being an XML editor, it offers a code generator, file converters, a debugger, a profiler, and integration into Visual Studio .NET and Eclipse.

One of the other main features XMLSpy includes is the ability to edit XML documents in multiple formats. I personally think that this is one of those kinds of features that once you get used to it, it's hard to work without XMLSpy. You can look at your XML document as a text doc, a grid format, and as a WYSIWYG view. Next it has a built-in well-formedness checker and validator. If there is something wrong with your document, you don't have to wait till it fails and then try to figure out what is wrong with it; XMLSpy does it for you.

You also have intelligent editing such that if a schema is associated with your XML document, the auto-completion feature of Text View provides help in editing. There are structural editing features like line numbering, indentation, bookmarks, as well as expandable and collapsible element to aid in navigation.

You can create schemas quickly and easily, there is support for XInclude and XPointer, a built-in XQuery 1.0 processor, and you can transform your XML document as well. You have debuggers, project management, database import, and the ability to compare XML files. If you are using Java, C++, or C# to manipulate data in XML, you can generate code containing class definitions for the schema. That is a lot already.

So with all this, what's new with XMLSpy 2008 Release 2?

• Very large file support – has been enhanced to work with much larger files. These result in a reduction of memory consumption by up to 75-80% as compared with the prior version when opening and validating XML documents in text view. This now means that you can work with files 4 to 5 times larger than before. This will be very beneficial to those with databases and other large applications.

• Detailed find-and-replace in XML Schema editor – now adds to the robust find-in capabilities that already exist in XMLSpy by adding the ability to find-in Schemas. Here you can find within single schemas and across complex multiple schemas as well.

• Enhanced XSLT details in info window – now places an XSLT tab in the XMLSpy info window which provides information for developers working with XSLT stylesheets. This tab allows you to view the associated schema and XML Instance files as well as any included or imported XSLT documents. The toolbar buttons allow you to organize some or all of the files into an XMLSpy project or even add the files to a ZIP archive.

• New XSL Outline entry helper window – complements the XSLT tab and aids in the optimization of XSLT development. When working with a XSLT 1.0 or 2.0 stylesheet, it lists the templates and functions in the current XSLT file as well as those in any included or imported file. Here you can view or edit each template's mode, priority, and associated comment directly in the XSL outline window.

• Support for Java, C#, JavaScript, and VBScript in XSLT 1.0/2.0 engines – now allows those who embed program code in Java, C#, JavaScript, or VBScript to add advanced functionality to their XSLT stylesheets. Now, not only can you take advantage of XMLSpy's XSLT editing and transformation capabilities, but you can also test, perfect, and optimize them using the XSLT debugger and XSLT profiler.

• Support for SOAP 1.2 – now allows you to create and test Web Services messages using SOAP1.2 by checking the appropriate box in the SOAP request settings dialog.

• Project generation for Visual Studio 2008 – gives you the option to generate a Visual Studio 2008 project file when generating C# or C++ code in XMLSpy.

• Visual Studio integration extended to include Visual Studio 2008 – now offers seamless support into Visual Studio 2008.

XMLSpy 2008 is available from Altova. It is $1090.00 USD for the Enterprise version and $539 for the Professional version. Still unsure, you can download a 30 day trial version as well.

If you work with XML with any regularity then you need to do yourself a favor and check out XMLSpy 2008. Right out of the box it will begin to save you time and money in making sure that your data is correct and allowing you to see your data in a whole new way. As you progress in your learning of XMLSpy 2008, you will find yourself using more and more of the toolset and becoming even more productive. I highly recommend XMLSpy 2008.

Technorati Tags: Altova,XMLSpy,XML,Web Services,Visual Studio,SOAP,Software,Programming

Software Review - NetAdvantage For .NET Suite- NetAdvantage AppStylist 2008 Volume 1 From Infragistics

2008-07-21T15:11:00.001-06:00

Technorati Tags: NetAdvantage,Infragistics,AppSylist,Presentation Layer,Software,Development

Written by T. Michael Testi

This is the third part of a three-part series that will cover what is contained in the NetAdvantage For .NET Suite. The three products are NetAdvantage for ASP.NET, NetAdvantage for Windows Forms, and NetAdvantage AppStylist. You can go online to explore more about the products in this suite. The goal of this series it to define what each product does and what it can do for you.

Infragistics over the years has positioned itself as a leader in the development of the presentation layer technologies. By creating high quality, reusable presentation layer tools for ASP.NET, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Tablet PC, and Java Environments, they are able to provide their customers with the ability to accelerate the development process by reducing development time.

The NetAdvantage For .NET Suite is compatible with Visual Studio 2008, and Visual Studio 2005. It works with Microsoft Windows XP and Vista. Infragistics products are subscription-based which gives you updates and upgrades for the period of the license, usually one year. So when you see the terminology "2008 Volume 1", this means it is the first release for this release of the product for that year. The license is also developer-based which means that the developer can install it on more than one machine, but they are the only one who has the right to use the license.

So what is NetAdvantage AppStylist? It is a revolutionary product that lets application developers and graphic artists peacefully coexist within a company. It allows each to do their job without stepping on or getting in the way of the other. It allows one to determine and develop the functionality while the other designs the look and feel and branding.

NetAdvantage AppStylist is really two products in one. One is for ASP.NET and the other is for Windows Forms. It is a standalone application that works outside of the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE and therefore allows visual designers to create and edit style libraries for use with these Infragistics products. It is meant to allow graphic designers to collaborate more efficiently with developers in creating polished, professional applications.

The Application Styling Framework (ASF) divides the space between the developer space and the designer space to let each accomplish their tasks. The designer should not be concerned with how the developer implements the design and the developer should not be concerned with any aspect of the look and feel of the application. By reducing the job cross-over, NetAdvantage AppStylist can speed development.

Some of the features of NetAdvantage AppStylist include

• Styling similar elements – such that when a graphics artist wants the column headers on a table to appear like the column headers in a list or tree without having to re-specify these setting for each control, they now have that ability from within their own IDE.

• Target components by type – will let a regular appearance to be applied across all controls of a particular control type without the developer having to tediously go in and change all of the properties within an application.

• Target individual instances – lets you change individual instances of a control type to look different than the others all without the developer having to change anything within the application.

• Coexistence with the Infragistics Object Model – In Windows Forms it merges its style settings with those of the control at appearance resolution time. On the Web, it is based on the client machine as part of their browser's routine CSS class resolution.

NetAdvantage AppStylist For Windows Forms will make the graphics artist feel right at home and allow them to become productive much more quickly through tooling that has been designed to work like the graphics media programs that they are already familiar with.

To work with NetAdvantage AppStylist you create/open a style library and base a new style library on an existing template. You can then customize the color palette of the style library. In the past, these color changes would need to have been coordinated between the graphics and applications designers, which really means that when the graphics designer wanted a change, the developer would have to stop work and make these modifications.

Then, to see the results of the changes, the graphics designer would have to wait until a test build has been completed to see the results. Now, in NetAdvantage AppStylist the graphics designer has access to every control and UI interface available so they can see what things will look like.

Once everything is complete, the graphics designer saves the style as an .isl file which the application designer then includes into the Windows Forms code. The developer then can implement it with as little as a single line of code: Infragistics.Win.Appstyling.StyleMangager.Load("MyStyle.isl");

When the application starts running, the appearance is defined by the new Style Library. Throughout the system, all controls are now updated to use the new styles without the possibility of errors or missed controls. If the graphics designer changes their mind on something, they just present an updated .isl file.

By technological differences, NetAdvantage AppStylist For ASP.NET works a little differently from the Windows Forms version. Here the style libraries are folder-based instead of file-based. Designers use .wsl files that describe the contents of their style library, but because the style library is now composed of separate .CSS and image files organized by style set and control type, style libraries can span multiple files in a nested folder structure.

Those appearance settings that can be styled for the Web conform to the style properties as defined by CSS and supported by major browser vendors. By defining a style using a Web site's web.config file, the new style can be set without ever taking down the site or rebuilding it.

From there the workflow is basically the same as it was with Windows Forms. You begin with a template and modify it to the look and feel that you want. You then save the .wsl file and then update your site to take advantage of it.

I think that this is a tremendous addition to anyone using either NetAdvantage for ASP.NET or NetAdvantage for Windows Forms. Even if you are not using a graphics designer and the developers are doing the layout, this will be a tremendous productivity boost to anyone.

There are two licenses that you can purchase NetAdvantage AppStylist. First is with Priority Support for $1,195.00 USD, and Standard for $695.00 USD. For the Studio it is $1,490.00, and $995.00 respectively. Priority support includes one year of priority phone, 24-hour chat and rapid response online support. As an added bonus, with either license, along with the updates, upgrades, and product releases, you also get the C# code for all ASP.NET tools and designers. You can even download an evaluation copy. There are no features disabled during your evaluation period.

If you are tired of having to repeatedly go back and forth with designers on your ASP.NET or Windows Forms application interfaces, having to spend more time then you want on the look and not enough time on what really counts—the product—then I highly recommend you take a look at Infragistics NetAdvantage AppStylist.

Software Review - NetAdvantage For .NET Suite- NetAdvantage For ASP.NET 2008 Volume 1 From Infragistics

2008-07-16T12:29:00.001-06:00

Technorati Tags: NetAdvantage,Infragistics,AppSylist,Presentation Layer,Software,Development

This is the second part of a three-part series that will cover what is contained in the NetAdvantage For .NET Suite. The three products are NetAdvantage for ASP.NET, NetAdvantage for Windows Forms, and NetAdvantage AppStylist. You can go online to explore more about the products in this suite. The goal of this series it to define what each product does and what it can do for you.

The NetAdvantage For .NET Suite is compatible with Visual Studio 2008, and Visual Studio 2005. It works with Microsoft Windows XP and Vista. Infragistics products are subscription-based which gives you updates and upgrades for the period of the license; usually one year. So when you see the terminology "2008 Volume 1", this means it is the first release for this release of the product for that year. The license is also developer based which means that the developer can install it on more than one machine, but they are the only one who has the right to use the license.

So what is NetAdvantage For ASP.NET? It is a toolkit for creating ASP.NET Web-based applications. It contains an extensive set of over 35 visual and non-visual controls including AJAX grids, charts, toolbars, menus, listbars, trees, tabs, and much more.

The NetAdvantage For ASP.NET is a complete toolset for building the presentation layer of your ASP.NET applications. The ASP.NET Controls and components are built on server-side and client-side architectural frameworks. They communicate and interact using JavaScript objects and XML. The server-side is designed to operate within the ASP.NET Framework and much of its functionality is derived from classes, structures, and events in the framework. The client-side objects are implemented as JavaScript functions on the pages that are invoked at the time that each event occurs.

So what is new with NetAdvantage For ASP.NET?

• Full Support for Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 – is new in NetAdvantage For ASP.NET. Included is support for the integrated development environment (IDE), and all .NET controls and components have been tested within this new environment.

• Aikido Framework – is the first release of Infragistics new Web User Framework. It is an architecture built into NetAdvantage For ASP.NET that supports the creation of lightweight, cross-browser, XHTML and CSS-based AJAX controls. Currently based on the Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX extensions 1.0 and ASP.NET 2.0, it is meant to remain aligned with the new ASP.NET 3.5 programming paradigms as they arise. The goals for this framework are to provide high-performance, standards compliance, major browser support, and the ability to make the object model simpler to understand and employ.

• Web Splitter – is a new ASP.NET splitter bar that provides a clean and elegant way to separate content within your Web application. It gives your user the ability to resize, expand, and collapse the content contained with the content pages. You can split horizontally, vertically, and resize your content panes.

• Web Dialog Window – can display as a simple DIV section in your HTML page and is able to bypass many of the pop-up blockers that are present in today's browsers while still appearing to the end user as a pop-up window. You can set the dialog box to behave as a modal or modeless dialog to better control your application. There is a customizable header, and it resizes just like the dialogs on your desktop. You can tell it where you want it to appear on the page. And it takes care of remembering whether the user has minimized, restored or maximized its appearance.

• Web Image Viewer – is a new sliding image control that provides end users with an easy-to-use Web interface for viewing images that can also serve as a navigational control. The images can be oriented horizontally or vertically through a single property setting. There is a custom configurable animation behavior that determines how the images appear as they are scrolled through. It can be data bound to a custom data model that has the file path to use for accessing the images, the target URLs when they are clicked, as well as the tool tip to be displayed.

• ITypedList Data Binding for WebGrid – is a new grid and combo box control that fully support data binding against the ITypedList interface,

• Web Hierarchical Data Source – is a non-visual control that lets you combine disparate data source controls such as SQL data sources, Access data sources, etc. The designer wizard takes you through step-by-step identifying the parent-child relationships. It then exposes the multiple sources as a single data source to other ASP.NET controls.

• Web Chart – adds a tree map chart type. This gives you the ability to display large amounts of data sets as nested rectangles where the size of the rectangle regions correlate to the importance of the data the rectangle represents.

• Web Slider – is a new control that is an AJAX-enabled track bar that lets you present users with an easy-to-understand way of entering data values that are incremental and are confined within a range.

As with NetAdvantage for Windows Forms, NetAdvantage For ASP.NET, it can seem quite overwhelming when you first begin. Infragistics though, has put together some really good help documents to get you started. In the case for NetAdvantage for .NET Studio, you are provided with a getting started guide and then a developer guide which takes you through the best way to learn the product. Since this is a subscription-based product, you are also shown what you need to do to upgrade your application as new releases are made, as well as how to deploy your application.

There are two licenses that you can purchase NetAdvantage For ASP.NET. First is with Priority Support for $1,290.00 USD, and Standard for $795.00 USD. For the Studio it is $1,490.00, and $995.00 respectively. Priority support includes one year of priority phone, 24-hour chat and rapid response online support. As an added bonus, with either license, along with the updates, upgrades, and product releases, you also get the C# code for all ASP.NET tools and designers. You can even download an evaluation copy. There are no features disabled during your evaluation period.

If you are tired of having to repeatedly design your ASP.NET application interfaces, having to spend more time than you want on the look and not enough time on what really counts (the product), then I highly recommend you take a look at Infragistics NetAdvantage For ASP.NET.

Software Review: NetAdvantage For .NET Suite- NetAdvantage For Windows Forms 2008 From Infragistics

2008-07-03T14:50:00.001-06:00

Technorati Tags: NetAdvantage,Infragistics,AppSylist,Presentation Layer,Software,Development

Reviewed by T. Michael Testi

This is the first part of a three-part series that will cover what is contained in the NetAdvantage For .NET Suite. The three products are NetAdvantage for Windows Forms, NetAdvantage for ASP.NET, and NetAdvantage AppStylist. You can go online to explore more about the products in this suite. The goal of this series it to define what each product does and what it can do for you.

Infragistics over the years has positioned itself as a leader in the development of the presentation layer technologies. By creating high quality, reusable presentation layer tools for Windows Forms, ASP.NET, Windows Presentation Foundation(WPF), Tablet PC, and Java Environments, they are able to provide their customers with the ability to accelerate the development process by reducing development time.

The NetAdvantage For .NET Suite is compatible with Visual Studio 2008, and Visual Studio 2005. It works with Microsoft Windows XP and Vista. Infragistics products are subscription-based which gives you updates and upgrades for the period of the license; usually one year. So when you see the terminology "2008 Volume 1", this means it is the first release for this release of the product for that year. The license is also developer based which means that the developer can install it on more than one machine, but they are the only one who has the right to use the license.

So what is NetAdvantage For Windows Forms? It is a toolkit for creating Windows Forms. It is contains an extensive set of over 50 controls and components that have been designed to provide you with the ability to create modern user interfaces for your Windows Forms applications.

The NetAdvantage For Windows Forms toolset is built on the Presentation Layer Framework (PLF); a layer that resides between the Microsoft .NET Framework, and the NetAdvantage Windows Form Elements. Some of the advantages of providing this layer is that it gives you a more stable, more consistent, and more extensible environment such that you can derive your own classes from any public component class that is not sealed, and it contains a shared set of common assemblies. It also means that once you have learned some of the Windows Form controls, the rest will require little effort.

While it is beyond the scope of this review to go through each and every feature, I will try to provide some highlights to the product. You can check out the Infragistics site to explore a more complete list controls and components. The NetAdvantage For Windows Forms consists of the Toolset which includes the Frameworks, which, as explained above are build upon the PLF, the Code Libraries that are a repository of the .NET objects that augment a given application, the Assemblies that map the control to the DLL, and the Controls and Components that you will include within your application.

The NetAdvantage For Windows Forms gives you the ability to change the look and feel of your controls and components. When learning how to use this package you will be presented with ways to set the visual styles and behaviors by using presets, themes, and appearance objects to your applications.

You can also upgrade your existing Windows Forms projects with NetAdvantage For Windows Forms so that you can make changes where you need to, and add new functionality as time permits.

So what is new with NetAdvantage For Windows Forms?
• Full Support for Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 – is new in NetAdvantage For Windows Forms. Included is support for the integrated development environment (IDE), and all .NET controls and components have been tested within this new environment.

• Vista Veneer now supports on WinTree. – This takes what was provided in version 2007 Volume 3; the Microsoft Windows Vista look and feel for the WinToolbarsManager components, and now provides them on the WinTree control. In the Windows Vista Display Styles include Scolling, Expansion indicators, colors, tool tips, and headers

• Select Nodes from any Level – is now available is to allow users to select as many tree nodes as they want in as many different levels of the tree control. This does not require any additional work on your part. You can manipulate the selected nodes collection based on the tree nodes coming from different levels.

• WinTrackBar – is a totally new track bar control that allows your users to choose values from a range; but not just a single range, rather as many as your application requires. It comes with a full array of looks and feels. If you are using the Office 2007 theme, this includes the ribbon style, and the collapsible Outlook pane. You can also style the control to implement your own Windows Vista track bar.

• New Close Button – has been added to the WinTab and WinTabbedMdiManager controls that will allow you to add tab closing functionality much like is found in Firefox and Internet Explorer tabs; this exists in the newer versions of each where you can have multiple websites open at one time and subsequently close each tab.

• WinListView – has been enhanced to allow end users to resize each column, resize by double clicking the right side of the column header, as well as controlling the resize process through the API. The AutoFitColumns turns this on, and the ColumnAutoSizeMode handles how the control reacts with the double click. By using the PerformAutoSize method, you can auto size whenever you need to.

Is there learning curve to using NetAdvantage For Windows Forms? Of course there is. As with any development product you need to spend the time to learn the it and integrated it into your workflow. This package was build under solid development principles that makes the learning curve diminish as you get deeper into learning the product. There are also a lot of helpful designers like the UltraWinGrid Designer that will help guide you through some of the many choices available.

When you first get into NetAdvantage For Windows Forms, it can be quite overwhelming, but Infragistics has put together some really good help documents to get you started. In the case for NetAdvantage for .NET Studio, you are provided with sections that pertain to the studio as a whole as well as for the NetAdvantage For Windows Forms product. They do a good job of presenting where you need to go to get started learning.

There are two licenses that you can purchase NetAdvantage For Windows Forms. First is with Priority Support for $1,290.00 USD, and Standard for $795.00 USD. For the Studio it is $1,490.00, and $995.00 respectively. Priority support includes one year of priority phone, 24-hour chat and rapid response online support. As an added bonus, with either license, along with the updates, upgrades, and product releases, you also get the C# code for all Windows Forms tools and designers. You can even download an evaluation copy. There are no features disabled during your evaluation period.

If you are tired of having to repeatedly design your application interfaces, having to painstakingly change the look and feel of controls and components, or having to spend more time then you want on the look and not enough time on what really counts; the product, then I highly recommend you take a look at Infragistics NetAdvantage For Windows Forms.

15 Ways Microsoft Can Reinvent Itself for the Post-Gates Era

2008-06-26T17:13:00.001-06:00

Its cofounder is retiring, its latest big product has been vilified, and potential partners are spurning its advances. So what does Microsoft do to remain relevant? Here are 15 ideas.

A computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software. That, Bill Gates has often said, is the vision on which he and Paul Allen founded their software company in 1975. There's debate over when the mantra was first articulated--the earliest known instances go back only to the mid-1980s--but this much is undeniable: Microsoft made that audacious goal a reality.

Today, as Gates prepares to step down from day-to-day management of the company, another fact is clear: The modern Microsoft remains a company in search of a second act. True, it remains one of the world's most profitable enterprises, raking in more dough in its 2007 fiscal year than Apple, Google, Yahoo, Oracle, and Adobe combined. But the cracks in the Microsoft hegemony aren't just showing, they're growing.

Read it all...

Google launches new iGoogle and artist themes

2008-06-26T17:10:00.001-06:00

It looks like Google just launched the new version of iGoogle that developers have had access to in the sandbox for a while now. The new version is great — and it gives developers a lot more flexibility when creating their gadgets because now it’s possible to make a full page view.

Read it all...

Software Review: Setup Factory 7 From IndigoRose

2008-06-25T14:33:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

If you read my review of MSI Factory 2 you would have found that it is a Microsoft Windows Installer; product that is aimed at creating 100% pure .MSI format installers and at that job it works great. But by using a Windows installer, you are governed by certain criteria that all Windows installers must follow. What about if you want more freedom and flexibility? What about if you want to do some things during installation that the Windows Installer doesn't allow? This is where Setup Factory 7 From IndigoRose steps in.

Setup Factory is a proprietary installation program that does not require the Microsoft Windows installer to be installed on the user's machine, and because it is able to make its own decisions, offers more freedom and flexibility in the creation of your installations. In fact, Setup Factory gives you the ability to deploy software products, data files, graphic images, or pretty much anything else that you want to distribute.

Setup Factory 7 is fully compatible with all versions of Windows from 95 through Vista. In an effort to conserve space, I have listed the requirements at the bottom of this review for both the design environment and the run-time application (the installer).

So, what's new with Setup Factory 7?

• Install any file anywhere with Setup Factory by simply dragging and dropping your files and folders into the project window. The program will maintain your folder structure, automatically query version resource information, create shortcut icons and, by using CRC-32 checking, insure data integrity.

• More compact single file setups let you deliver smaller and faster files. The approximately 450KB runtime overhead (including install) is smaller than the others. This smaller file creates a faster install and makes it easier to distribute by LAN,CD/DVD, and even floppy disk.

• Customizable Install Wizard screens give you a library of more than 20 different templates to choose from and a pre-built wizard sequence that works for a majority of installation tasks. You have the availability of check boxes, radio buttons, and edit fields to popular screens like license agreements, serial number verifications, etc. You can add and remove screens at will, and each screen has a real-time preview so that you can see the results of your changes.

• Themes and skins give you pre-made themes to customize your screens and you can even create your own. You can configure everything from fonts, banner images, body and background graphics, control colors, and more.

• Background window options let you choose between the traditional setup style or the "Run-in-the-background" style. You can customize the background window with gradients, images, color washes, headlines and footer text with 3D effects as well.

• Action Library now gives you over 250 easy to use actions so you can program your install to do what ever you need without being a programmer. These actions handle everything from text file editing to system registry changes. You can execute programs, call DLL functions, query drive information, and more.

• Action Wizard gives you the ability to select the action you want from a list, fill in the requested information and the wizard will do the rest.

• Scripting engine, based on the LUA language, gives you everything you need to do just about anything in an install. This language contains loops, conditions, functions, variables, and more that you can combine with actions to create very powerful installers that can accomplish any task.

• Color Syntax Highlighting Action Editor will allow you to work with the scripting language like a professional. This includes code completion, syntax highlighting, as you type action prototypes, and even context sensitive help.

• Expandable with Action Plugins will extend the product in very powerful ways. You can add support for databases, XML, data encryption, and FTP file transfers. These plugins are available through IndigoRose as well as third parties. You can even create your own with the plugin development kit.

• Dependency Modules & Runtime Support lets you add support for third-party technologies such as VB5, VB6, DCOM, JET, MDAC, Visual C++, and more. Since you have control over the detection and installation of each module, you can adjust the behavior to suite your requirements.

• Flexible Uninstaller has been improved so Setup Factory can automatically uninstall anything that it has installed, or you can customize it to take full control of what happens during the uninstall.

• System requirements checking can be enforced by checking a few boxes. These checks include operating system, memory, screen resolution, color depth, administration privileges, and more.

• Serial numbers, security, and access features are provided by a number of features that will help you manage access to your software including serial number lists and date-based expiration. Your installer data is compressed using proprietary algorithms and only accessible to those who supply a valid serial number, or as always, you can roll your own system.

• Packages, categories, and install types will let you create much more complex and multi-part products. You can group products and features into a single installer. You can even use categories into logical components.

• International language support is provided right out of the box. Installers created with Setup Factory can automatically determine the language of the client operating system and adjust the display of the screens and message accordingly. As long as it is one of the supported languages, you supply the text and Setup Factory takes care of the rest.

• Built-in spell checker that will take the embarrassment out of typos that can creep into your project. What's more is that there are dictionaries available for over a dozen languages.

• Even more, such as silent installs, log files to track of details, unattended builds, comprehensive users guide, and video training CDs.

I found Setup Factory 7 very easy to use and it flowed in a very natural manner. I really like the way that you can just drag and drop your files into the project window and click build and you can be done. You can even have a project wizard that will walk you through the process.

There are a lot of options that I did not get an opportunity to try out, but that just goes to show how feature rich this product is. Setup Factory 7 can give you both aspects, a simple quick installer, as well as a full featured product with a scripting language that hands you the ultimate in power.
Setup Factory 7 is available from IndigoRose for $495 USD or you can download a 30-day trial version as well. No matter the level of developer you are, Setup Factory 7 can deliver your product. I highly recommend Setup Factory.

System Requirements and Design Environment

The minimum and recommended system requirements for the Setup Factory design environment are:

Minimum

Windows 95 (OSR2), 98, Me, NT 4.0 (SP3), 2000, XP, Vista
Pentium 120 MHz
128 MB RAM
800x600 SVGA display with small fonts setting enabled
20+ MB free hard drive space
Video card set to 16 bit color or greater
Mouse

Recommended

Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista
Pentium 4 or equivalent
256 MB RAM or greater
19" monitor @ 1152x864 or 21" monitor @ 1280x1024 (1280x960 if supported by your video card)
High-performance video card
DirectX 8.1 or higher
Sound card
Mouse

Run-time Application (Built Installer)

The minimum system requirements for the Setup Factory installer are:
Minimum

Windows 95 and up
486 processor
32 MB RAM
640x480 SVGA display
Video card set to 8 bit 256 color or greater (recommended)
10+ MB free hard drive space

Note: The following HTTP actions require Internet Explorer 4.0 or greater: HTTP.GetConnectionState, HTTP.DownloadSecure and HTTP.SubmitSecure.

Software Review: MSI Factory 2 from IndigoRose

2008-06-23T15:52:00.001-06:00

Reviewed by T. Michael Testi

Just because creating software can be hard, that doesn't mean that delivering that software has to be harder. But that is just what it is when you don't have the right tools to do the job. MSI Factory 2 is the latest version of IndigoRose's Microsoft Windows Installer product that is aimed at creating 100% pure .MSI format installers.

MSI Factory 2 works hard at making the creation of professional installers faster and much more hassle free. It is meant to be easy to use without the complexities of the MSI database tables, sequences, and components. By using its drag and drop abilities, the customization of some dialog boxes via the visual editor and one-click build, it creates a single installer that works on any version of Windows from 95 to Vista.

MSI Factory is not to be confused with IndigoRose's Setup Factory which I will look at in a separate review. Whereas MSI Factory uses Microsoft's Windows installer service which must be installed on the end user's system, installers of this type must abide by the rules of the Windows Installer technology. Setup Factory, on the other hand, creates its own custom installations and has independent flexibilities.

So how does MSI Factory work? You start off with making either an installer project that creates a full installation package, or a Merge Module Project that is used to create a merge module database. A merge module is a Windows installer database file that is used to describe installation logic that will be merged with a larger Windows installation package. Merge modules are used to deliver shared code, files, resources, registry entries, and setup logic to applications as a single compound file.

Once you select the install, you browse to the files that you want to include and add them. From there you can select options in the following categories: "Files" where you can add, remove and set properties of the files, "Projects" where you can adjust the settings, components, features, folders, and media settings with regard to the project, the "Requirements" of the install such as launch conditions, searches, and merge modules, the "User Interface" that includes the dialog boxes, languages, and styles of the dialogs presented to the user, and the "System Editors" which handle the registry changes, INI files, shortcuts, file operations, environment variables, services, ODBC, XML, and custom actions. Finally you also have control over extensions such as IIS. Once you have everything set up correctly, it is just a matter of building the project.

So, what's new with MSI Factory 2?

• Next Generation Installer – now fully leverages WiX complier technology giving you easy access to the same technology that Microsoft uses for creating installers for Microsoft Office and SQL Server. In fact MSI Factory is the first visual setup builder to fully use Microsoft's WiX compiler technology.

• Intelligent Development – now takes the MSI Factory IDE's focus to the files that you want to distribute as opposed to abstract concepts like components, features, sequences, and GUIDs. This makes it possible in the case of simple installs to just drop files, press build, and deliver.

• Bootstrap Wrapper – is a unique, fully scriptable .EXE bootstrap wrapper with LZMA compression and over 300 actions including HTTP downloads for real flexibility in an MSI based installer.

• WiX – compatible source projects with integrated support for WiX fragments and extensions.

• Dialog Editor – provides visual editing for quickly customizing the interface. It includes 22 different control types such as check boxes, radio buttons, and bit maps that will allow you to create fully customized dialogs.

• System Editors – give you an extensive list of actions including registry editing, shortcut icons, INI files, the ability to set file permissions, and more.

• Enterprise Ready – by giving you the features for team and enterprise development. These include automated builds, processor directives, pre/post build steps, and integrated support for WiX fragments and extensions.

Personally I found MSI Factory 2 very easy to use and much more intuitive than the native .NET installer. You have an incredible amount of control over virtually all aspects of your MSI install.

As of the time of this review, they have not updated the videos for version two, but the videos for version one are still on their site. I did have some sound quality problems with the videos when using my Firefox browser, but under Internet Explorer they worked just fine. The help is primarily a compiled Microsoft help file that also links you back to the videos and to a FAQ page on the IndigoRose website. They also have a pretty dynamic forum where you can get answers to questions.

MIS Factory 2 is available from IndigoRose for $495 USD or you can download a 30 day trial version. If you are looking for the ability to create Microsoft Window Installer files quickly and easily and especially if you want to use the new WiX technology, then you need MIS Factory 2.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Design Environment:

Windows 2000, XP, Vista
Resolution: 1040x768
500 MB RAM
40+ MB free hard drive space
.NET Framework 1.1
Windows Installer 2.0

Runtime (Built Installer):

Windows 95 and up
Project based Windows Installer version installed

Software Review: XMLSpy 2008 From Altova

2008-06-20T15:53:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

XMLSpy 2008 is the latest version of Altova's integrated development environment (IDE) for XML. XMLSpy allows programmers to create XML-based applications and Web services in a more dynamic and easier to understand environment. The version that I am reviewing is XMLSpy 2008 release 2 which came out on May 7, 2008 and it is based on the Enterprise version. There is also a Professional version and if you would like to view the differences between the two, you can check out the feature comparison list.

So with all this, what's new with XMLSpy 2008 Release 2?

• Support for SOAP 1.2 – now allows you to create and test Web Services messages using SOAP1.2 by checking the appropriate box in the SOAP request settings dialog.

• Project generation for Visual Studio 2008 – gives you the option to generate a Visual Studio 2008 project file when generating C# or C++ code in XMLSpy.

• Visual Studio integration extended to include Visual Studio 2008 – now offers seamless support into Visual Studio 2008.

XMLSpy 2008 is available from Altova. It is $1090.00 USD for the Enterprise version and $539 for the Professional version. Still unsure, you can download a 30 day trial version as well.

Software Review: Vue 6 Infinite From e-On Software

2008-06-09T09:39:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

Vue 6 Infinite is the professional version of e-On Software’s Vue 3D product line which is used to create realistic 3D environments. In total there are five versions of Vue. Easel is the entry level version for newcomers to 3D graphics. Esprit is designed for artists and illustrators. Pro Studio is geared for the advanced artist. Infinite is designed for the professional 3D animator and production studio. And xStream is the integrated solution; this is a version of Infinite that can integrate directly into other 3D applications such as Maya, 3ds, Lightwave, and Cinema 4D. To see all of the differences, you can check out the comparative matrix from e-On software.

The main difference between Vue 6 Infinite and xStream is that Vue 6 Infinite is meant to run as a standalone product and xStream is built to run in other products; other than that difference, the features are the same.

Vue 6 Infinite runs on Windows (2000 or greater) or Mac (OS X 10.3 or later) with 2 GHz or faster recommended, 1 GB RAM (2 GB or more recommended); an OpenGL enabled graphics card is not required but highly recommended with 1024x768 in 65K colors/16 bits (24+ bits recommended), and 200 MB free hard disk space. Multi-processor rendering is only available on all multi-processor OS X, 2000, XP Pro and Vista systems.

Originally developed by French College student Nicholas Phelps in 1992, Vue was created to construct animated landscapes. e-On Software was founded in 1997 with the release of Vue d'Esprit 2. Embraced initially by artists and animators, it has now become a feature in Hollywood and has been used to create scenes in such movies as Pirates of the Caribbean II and the Spiderwick Chronicles as well as for television shows such as those produced by the Discovery Channel. It is also finding its way into advertising and the fine art industry.

So, what's new with Vue 6 Infinite? A lot! Since this latest release is actually version 6.5, I will focus more on these items, but you can check out the complete feature list.

• EcoSystems Generation II – lets you directly paint over surfaces with pressure sensitive tablets. You can create stacks of layered EcoSystems, change the size and color on the fly, and control everything right down to individual instances. You can have multiple layers, each with its own complete set of parameters for easy control of separate populations. The new affinity setting allows control of one layer by another. You can even choose from EcoSystem display modes.

• Unlimited Overlapping Spectral Cloud Layers – will allow you to create complex and realistic cloudscapes. The spectral atmosphere engine is capable of rendering volumetric clouds with lighting and shadows. Spectral cloud layers are 3D renditions which allow you to create everything from thin ground fog to massive cumulonimbus.

• New Cloud Lighting technology – lets you set local lights that affect spectral atmospheres and clouds. Create true to life thunderstorms, searchlights or illuminated objects that fly through clouds.

• Faster Atmosphere rendering – lets you render spectral atmosphere animations faster than ever before with a new optimized anti-flickering technology.

• High resolution rendering – is now capable over a network of computers. The render control panel gives you precise control over every parameter which gives you the flexibility to do what you need without sacrificing quality. You can render in stand-alone mode or via network rendering. You can even integrate Vue 6 Infinite into a render farm that is capable of running several different applications.

• Animated Graph Editor – now lets you animate using keyframes, time curves, tangents and interpolation. It has been redesigned to give you all of the tools and controls you will need to create your animations. Along with traditional techniques, you also have an animation wizard that lets you create path animations as well.

• Omni and Directional Ventilators – give you much greater control in creating wind and special effects. These two new wind generators enhance the ability to create localized wind effects that can be linked to the movement of other objects in the scene.

• SolidGrowth 4 – Plant rendering technology will let you can produce flicker free animations. This is based on random growth technology so no two plants of the same species will ever look exactly alike. It also simulates the different color tones found in nature for greater realism. There are over 50 plant species (grass, shrubs, trees, etc) and you can develop your own, or purchase more online.

Vue 6 Infinite is nothing short of incredible! At first blush, one might look at this product and say that this is really only useful for animation and film production, but that would not be taking into account all of the other industries that could benefit from its use.

For example, if you are a builder, architect, landscape designer, or other professional that needs to emulate an environment, Vue 6 is the perfect application to model your design and/or prototype as a proof of concept design. If you are in advertising, what better way to provide backgrounds and other layout art without having to go on location or pay a high dollar firm to do equivalent work? The uses are endless.

With five different versions of Vue 6 ranging from $99 to $1035 USD there truly is a version for everyone and considering what this product can do, each is well worth its price.

If you want to see what some have done with Vue 6 Infinite you can check out the gallery that is located on the e-On Software website. There is also a pretty active community forum available as well. I very highly recommend Vue 6 and especially Vue 6 Infinite.

IN3: Google Health 2018: Worst Case Scenarios [PMR, Privacy, HIPAA, Wellness]

2008-06-06T10:43:00.001-06:00

Here is an interesting article about what could happen if Google is allowed to move forward with their plans on organizing patient medical data. It is a little scary to me to put this in to the hands of someone other than the patient. But considering how careful everyone is with their own data, that could be as scary as well.

"ANALYSIS Google Health organizes a patient's diverse medical data into a coherent on-line personal health record (PHR). The visceral reaction of many to the privacy concerns is revealing: most people think they need to keep medical data secret because they're covering something up -- with employers, insurers, loved ones, maybe even themselves. "

Read it all...

For equal balance...

"ANALYSIS Google Health organizes a patient's diverse medical data into a coherent on-line personal health record (PHR). At base, it's a simple convenience, good record-keeping for important information that puts the patient in control of his own data. But as the growth of the World Wide Web has shown, standardized digital information -- cheaply networked, easily accessible, interoperable and extensible -- is the foundation for great new ideas, disruptive applications and boundless innovation. Looking ahead a decade of Internet time, here are a few possible applications."

Read it all...

Then you decide...

DVD Review - Joseph Campbell: The Hero's Journey - A Biographical Portrait

2008-05-30T15:06:00.001-06:00

Reviewed by T. Michael Testi

Joseph Campbell: The Hero's Journey – A Biographical Portrait is a documentary about the life and works of Joseph Campbell, the author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces. During his life Campbell was known as an American Mythology professor, a writer, and a lecturer who revolutionized the fields of comparative mythology.

Joseph Campbell was born and raised in White Plains, New York in an upper middle class Roman Catholic family. As a child he was fascinated with American Indian culture. He taught himself everything he could about the culture and focused on the mythology of the Indians. During the 1920's he spent time traveling in Europe and became highly influenced by the Lost Generation; a group of American authors such as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Dos Passos, as well as the avant garde artists of the time such as Matisse and Picasso.

It was during this time that he realized that many of the myths throughout the world had similar threads and this became the theory of the journey of the archetypal hero. It is this theory that formed the basis of his 1949 seminal classic The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This is also the book that filmmaker George Lucas credits with helping him to form the stories of the Star Wars films; Lucas is shown giving credit to Campbell in this film. At the same time Campbell came to understand the myths that defined his own existence.

Joseph Campbell: The Hero's Journey – A Biographical Portrait is a film that is 57 minutes long and is narrated by Peter Donat. It is 4:3 full screen format and contains no bonus materials. It mixes much of its time between interviews with Campbell, listing to him lecturing, and historical footage so as to put time frames in perspective.

Joseph Campbell: The Hero's Journey – A Biographical Portrait is the kind of film that needs to be watched multiple times to really get all that Campbell has to offer. The lectures and interviews appeared to have happened in the 70's and 80's (based on hair and clothing styles), but you can tell what an captivating speaker and storyteller he was.

The biggest problems that I had with Joseph Campbell: The Hero's Journey – A Biographical Portrait is its length. In my opinion it is too short. You get a good representation of his life from a young age to around the time of World War II and then you have him lecturing in the last decade of his 83 years, but not anything in between.

If you have seen my reviews on Mythos I and Mythos II you will know that I really like Campbell's work and have a high degree of respect for the man and what he has done for reclaiming myth for the modern generation. If you don't know about Joseph Campbell the man, I highly recommend Joseph Campbell: The Hero's Journey – A Biographical Portrait.

Software Review: MSI Factory 2 from IndigoRose

2008-05-29T13:52:00.001-06:00

Written by T. Michael Testi

So, what's new with MSI Factory 2?

• Bootstrap Wrapper – is a unique, fully scriptable .EXE bootstrap wrapper with LZMA compression and over 300 actions including HTTP downloads for real flexibility in an MSI based installer.

• WiX – compatible source projects with integrated support for WiX fragments and extensions.

• System Editors – give you an extensive list of actions including registry editing, shortcut icons, INI files, the ability to set file permissions, and more.

Personally I found MSI Factory 2 very easy to use and much more intuitive than the native .NET installer. You have an incredible amount of control over virtually all aspects of your MSI install.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Design Environment:

Windows 2000, XP, Vista
Resolution: 1040x768
500 MB RAM
40+ MB free hard drive space
.NET Framework 1.1
Windows Installer 2.0

Runtime (Built Installer):

Windows 95 and up
Project based Windows Installer version installed