Windows 7: The Curates Egg?

I finally made the switch to Windows 7 at the weekend.  Vista, which promised so much in the beginning, was slowly getting slower with many more episodes of the dreaded spinning wheel for no apparent reason, so I decided to take the plunge.  Having done my due diligence and read the feeds on W7 and pondered their meaning I decided to go.  I went for the Upgrade which came with both 64 bit and 32 bit disks.  Therein was the first puzzle.  Having checked my processor and discovered it would run 64 bit applications I looked forward eagerly to a new world only to have my expectations dashed when I discovered that you can only upgrade 32 bit Vista Home Premium to 32 bit Windows 7 Home premium.  Never mind I won't notice the difference thought I.
Knowing that preparation, belts and braces and spot welds are required for any change in an MS product, I took an image of my hard disk, backed it up with Windows back up and copied all my files across to my 1TB external hard drive so if all turned to shit I could rebuild the OS in Vista using the computer's recovery disk.
I also followed the advice of Windows Upgrade Adviser and uninstalled  iTunes and printed off hard copies of MS's upgrade instructions.
So when the software arrived I reckoned I was ready to go and eager to do so.  I inserted the disks and opted for "Upgrade" rather than "Custom Install" [I won't bore you with the technical reasons for going down this path].  Following MS's lead I chose to download any updates required before continuing.  Imagine my horror when I got a message something like "Cannot continue with Installation.  File 45cn90fhk.hgu [or something quite like it] cannot load!!!.  So after several retries that yielded the same thing and much puzzling I elected to proceed without downloading updates, assiduously ignoring MS's warning that if I did it may cause my entire computer to melt.  Success....installation started and then told me I had to uninstall my phone software which I could only do by aborting the installation.
Having done this and gone through the whole palava again it started to churn and it churned and churned and churned for about 5 hours, restarting many times, before I had my new operating system.
But then then the real hard-to-solve problems started.
My scanner wouldn't work and after much cogitation I found a site with a Windows 7 download for the scanner, an Epson V300 (not on Epson's UK site I might add).  I installed the W7 driver and it still wouldn't run so I tried running it in compatibility mode (W7's compatibility mode is much better than Vista's and really works well).  This worked but means that each time I run the scanner I have to tell the dialogue box that it's really OK to do this.
Nero 7 didn't work and Nero would not provide an update, instead saying you could upgrade to Nero 9 (Windows 7 Certified) for only £39.99.  Bugger that I thought: I don't really need it so I uninstalled it (more of this later).
Everything now seemed OK so I sat back to enjoy the Windows 7 experience.  And it was very good.  Quicker (except perversely Windows Media Centre  which was incredibly slow-again more in a minute), more intuitive and better looking.  In short the OS that Vista should have been.
Then I discovered that both my optical drives weren't being picked up by the OS.  Device Manager told me that their drivers had been corrupted and the registry entries were shot.  How did that happen but more importantly how to fix it?
Using the most useful and best piece of software MS has ever made, System Restore, four times I concluded that uninstalling Nero had somehow corrupted the Registry.  So I rolled it all back two days and recovered my two optical drives.  It had been, as the Great Duke once said, a damn close run thing.  Now it's functioning OK and like the Curate's Egg some of it is very good.  Except I have an un-uninstallable, completely useless piece of software which regularly sends messages about being unable to load.
The bad bits are that it runs slow with some software: Windows Media Centre and FeedDemon particularly, with no apparent fixes.  And Windows Media Centre although obviously a new and slicker version still has real problems with its interface - it is still a major and puzzling chore to get the media libraries set up properly.
Was it all worth it?  Yes is the answer.  It continues to get faster over time, rather like a child learining how to ride a bike, most applications run better and the interface is great.
If you are going to upgrade from Vista think carefully about whether you can bear the nausea of doing a clean install and then having to reinstall all your software and settings.  It's probably a better way to go than upgrading.  If you are running XP you have to do this anyway -there is no migration path.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

The rather elegant blog Defence of the Realm which is not only well thought out but has interesting and perceptive analysis is running a story on changes to tactical doctrine in UK warfighting in Afghanistan.  The new doctrine will be taught to all new army officers.  But is the doctrine really new?  It sets out the need to bribe the Taliban with "bags of gold" in order to buy them off.  This strategy for the UK has a long and ignominious history going back to William Pitt the Younger and the bribing of most of Europe to stand fast against the tyrrany of Bonaparte.  An analysis of British foreign policy over the last 300 years shows little evidence of the stupendously misguided concept, advanced by the late Robin Cook, of the UK having an "ethical foreign policy".  

This policy of bribery (exquisitely announced on the eve of the Queen's Speech which inter alia outlined  the  Bribery Bill, which will make it offence to bribe foreign officials and for business to fail to prevent bribery) also acknowledges that our counter-insurgency tactics, learned in Northern Ireland, don't work generally.  Perhaps this will put an end to the extremely irksome behaviour exhibited by some senior army officers of going round saying to anyone who will listen "Now pay attention you lot, we know all about the right way to conduct these sort of operations"

Hopefully this will all lead to a new generation of army leaders who actually understand how to prosecute these wars.  Unfortunately the admission that we have got it wrong will be of little comfort to the wounded warriors of the current conflict.

It seems that the young Independent Whig might have had it right after all.

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Quick Spin: Superformance MKIII R Cobra kickstarts our hearts

This is from Autoblog.  Whilst not the most beautiful car to me (unlike to the Autoblog team) this is what a real sportscar should look like.  And go like.  Now if only Ferrari would build retro cars like, for example the 250LM...

Quick Spin: Superformance MKIII R Cobra kickstarts our hearts: "
Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, Quick Spin

Superformance MKIII R Cobra - Click above for high-res image gallery

It's mea culpa time. While it's probably best not to begin a review with an apology, this author would be fairly derelict in his auto bloggin' duty if he didn't admit that not only does this review represent his first time in a Cobra - ever - but that he went in wanting to love the car. After all, not only is the Cobra Daytona Coupe the single greatest car yours truly has ever driven, but it's fair to call me a Shelby-head. At least once a week, the fiancee is hollering to put one of several several Shelby books back in the bookcase. But still, before today, these hands and feet had never driven a Cobra.
Of course, purists will argue that's still the case. This gunmetal gray beauty wasn't built on Princeton Ave. in Venice Beach. Nor was it built at Shelby America's hanger near LAX. In fact, it wasn't even built in America. No, this particular Cobra - the Superformance MKIII R, a special version of their MKIII - is built in South Africa. Recently, too. The MKIII R actually has a modern, square-tube spaceframe chassis with different hard points and suspension than you'd find underneath a classic Cobra's skin. Perhaps it's not a 'real' Cobra, but here's what Carroll Shelby has to say about Superformance's efforts, 'It's not a true Shelby, but I've endorsed and licensed the car for being as close to correct and well-built as possible.' Good enough for us.

Gallery: Quick Spin: Superformance MKIII-R

Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
Continue reading Quick Spin: Superformance MKIII R Cobra kickstarts our hearts

Quick Spin: Superformance MKIII R Cobra kickstarts our hearts originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shooting the State Capitols, USA

Edward Crim is a photographer from St Louis, Missouri, who has undertaken to photograph all the State Capitols across the US. So far he has done 39.  This is a terrific project and one after my own heart.  As you'll see from my Flickr photos I am prone to shooting buildings but I'm not in the same class as Edward!  You can see Edward's photos here.  Roll the mouse over each city to bring up the key photo; click on the city to see the set.
And to start the ball rolling here is Melbourne in the early 1990s:

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VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger

Jay Leno seems to like the Hotchkiss E-Max Challenger as well.

VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger: "
Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Dodge, Celebrities

Jay Leno and the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger - Click above to watch video after the jump

Well, well, well -- look who's jumping on our Hotchkis bandwagon. It's none other than Jay Leno behind the wheel of the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger! What a wonderful beast of an automobile.



To refresh your memory a bit, the suspension gurus at Hotchkis wanted to build a classic muscle car that not only looked and sounded the part, but that handled like a modern performance car. In fact, they wanted to take things a step further, so they went and built an auto-crosser. To quote ourselves, 'Tooling around the 'hood a bit I'm slightly amazed at how much the bright yellow Dodge feels like a go kart. A gigantic go kart, but a go kart nonetheless.'

And guess what? Jay feels the same way. Well, not quite the same, as he compares the handling to a Lamborghini. We're not prepared to go quite so far, but there is no question that as far as 1970 Mopars go, this is the best handling one out there, period. One thing Jay does that we didn't get to do is place the E-Max on a lift and get a guided tour of all the fancy-pants suspension components from none other than John Hotchkis himself. They examine the poly-bushings, the shiny tie-rods and the elegant A-arms that make up the E-Max's sophisticated front end, as well as the less-than-modern (but still nifty) solid-axle leaf-sprung rear. Then they venture out into the streets of Burbank for a little hoonage, including a smoky burnout. Watch the video, after the jump.

Gallery: Review: 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger T/A

Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.



[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Time for a Wound Decoration?

Throughout history more soldiers have been wounded in battle than killed.  Many died shortly afterwards but in general there are more wounded than killed.
In the 20th Century the ratio has dramatically improved in the number of survivors.  This has been due to two main factors: improved medical procedures, including the use of antibiotics to stop battlefield infections; and the advent of the battlefield helicopter.  First used effectively in the  Vietnam War where "Dust Off" or aero-medical casualty evacuation saved many lives that otherwise would have been lost, the helicopter has enabled casualties to reach high quality medical care in well equipped facilities behind the lines in much shorter times.  The probability of surviving even grievous wounds is now much higher than it has ever been. So there are now prorata many more wounded soldiers than there used to be.
No official recognition of the damage done to soldiers, sailors and airmen in the line of duty is made in the UK.  We give returned soldiers medals for gallantry and for being there but not for being wounded.  This is in stark contrast to the US where the highly prized and regarded wound decoration, the Purple Heart, has been awarded to wounded warriors since 1932.
I believe that the UK should now institute a wound decoration to be awarded to soldiers, sailors and airmen, and where appropriate civilians, who are wounded as a result of enemy action, which would include improvised explosive devices, the weapon of choice for those waging asymmetric warfare.  It would be particularly appropriate if Her Majesty, with her long and unstinting association with the Armed Forces, were to give her name to such a decoration and called it the Elizabeth Medal to complement the recently established Elizabeth Cross bestowed upon widows etc. of those killed in action.  Such a medal could have a ribbon comprising equal stripes of red, navy blue and Cambridge blue (representing the three Services) sloping down to the wearer's left like the Distinguished Flying Cross.  It might rank behind any gallantry awards or Orders and immediately before general service medals or campaign medals.
Such a decoration would show the gratitude that we have for those damaged in our names by active service.

Saving the Albatross

Three albatrosses have been added to Annex 1 of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), thus ensuring that the Agreement covers all of the species of albatross. This very welcome move ensures that albatrosses now have full legal protection in International Law.
Albatrosses are generally thought of as Southern Hemisphere birds but these three, the North Pacific species of albatross, Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus, Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis and Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes are all found in the Northern Hemisphere.  There is now a real chance of arresting the decline in population across all species of albatross thus helping to conserve these magnificent birds.

Photo by Matt Knoth / Flickr 

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SEMA 2009: 427-powered Fiat 500 is the stuff dreams are made of

Cinque cento diventare settemila.  Bravo!  Stupendo!

SEMA 2009: 427-powered Fiat 500 is the stuff dreams are made of: "
Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, SEMA Show, Classics, Coupe, Performance, Fiat, Specialty

1959 Fiat 500 Funny Car by Legacy Innovations - Click above for high-res image gallery

Okay, this is so awesome it hurts. The guys at Legacy Innovations took a perfectly lovely but woefully underpowered 1959 Fiat 500 and turned it into a Fiat 7,000. The Fiat 500 is an iconic car, one with tremendous nostalgic charm, but it was never really much good as a car until they redid it a few years ago. So although we might love the little 500, it doesn't provide a very good platform for what the Legacy Innovations guys had in mind for it - namely drag racing.

Easy fix though. They broke out the torches and gutted it. They basically removed all of the weak stuff and replaced it with a full-on 4130 chrome molly tube chassis, hinged the body in true Funny Car fashion and dropped in a 725-HP 427 small block. The body was kept relatively stock, save for the hood cutout, but they still managed to mount a pair of Hoosier slicks in back and still had room for wheelie bars that extend out far enough to effectively double the length of their little 500.

No word on how quick this baby is in the quarter, but we bet it's quick enough to embarrass just about anything else coming out of Italy. It's cars like this that make the trip to SEMA totally worthwhile.

Gallery: SEMA 2009: 1959 Fiat 500 by Legacy Innovations

Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

SEMA 2009: 427-powered Fiat 500 is the stuff dreams are made of originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Afghan war 'controls immigration'

From the BBC:

Afghan war 'controls immigration': "Removing troops from Afghanistan would 'significantly increase' the number of asylum seekers in the UK, a minister says."

So now we finally have it.  The policy objective of our war in Afghanistan is not to prevent terrorism, not to tackle opium production, not even to support our allies but to control immigration thus reducing the pressure on Macavity in the run-up to the next election.

And to say this on the day five of our soldiers are murdered is extremely off.  Shame, shame, shame.

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Don't Cancel the Big Ticket Programmes

The next public spending round is going to be very difficult.  Although Macavity will be keen to offer new popular spending promises to the electorate  prior to the election so he can portray the Tories as dire takersaway, Treasury will not be amused and will insist that he cuts other things to pay for the handouts.
Against this background Defence will be particularly vulnerable.  Britain is currently locked in mortal combat with an enemy who understands and applies the principles of asymmetric warfare to devastating effect.  The outlook is bleak, the policy objectives muddy and the duration uncertain but long.  Despite all this Macavity will be keen to make swingeing cuts in the high value items of the MoD's budget and that almost certainly means the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF), already reduced to only one (what happens during necessary refits is anyone's guess).  Both of these programmes are multi-billion pound tickets and because the current conflict in Afghanistan is all about helicopters, protection and boots on the ground will be cut or worse terminated without much public reaction.
This would be utterly disastrous.  We must not forget that the Afghanistan campaign is being conducted in an environment of total air dominance by ISAF - the Taliban does not have a single aircraft let alone a credible counter-air capability.  Pakistan, on the other hand, does. Macavity will not understand about commanding the air to win the ground battle and so will see no military risk in cutting the JSF programme and doing away with the remaining CVF.  Let us hope that Service Chiefs will be able to persuade him of the foolishness of such a course of action.
Were they to fail we must then reconcile ourselves to forever give up the notion of "punching above our weight" and so pursue a similar military strategy to Denmark.

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Arezzo - A little bit of Firenze and a little bit of Cortona?

As you know we are back from Italy but I haven't really said anything about the time spent there.  We have been going to Italy for some years and each time we go we try to see something new.  This year it was Arezzo which, somewhat surprisingly given its location between Firenze and Cortona, we have not visited before.
Situated overlooking the Val di Chiana Arezzo is, like Cortona, a hill town but a much larger and more important one.  In fact it is the regional seat.  The town consists of a new town and an upper old town.  Getting to Arezzo from Borgo di Vagli is best done by driving to Terontola and then getting the train.  I once tried to drive there a couple of years ago but it was hopeless.
The old town is quite charming with some wonderful architecture and churches including the Duomo:

and the Piazza Grande:

and the stunning Pieve di S. Maria, one of the most perfect Medieval churches in Tuscany:

You can see these and other pictures of Arezzo on Flickr 

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Spy Shots: First longer-wheelbase Ferrari 612 Scaglietti replacement spotted

It's a mule but the finished item is well on the way.  Let us hope that it looks less boring than this.  Looks far too Porsche-like to be a Ferrari.



Spy Shots: First longer-wheelbase Ferrari 612 Scaglietti replacement spotted: "
Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari, Luxury

Ferrari 612 replacement test mule - Click above for high-res image gallery

Ferrari is reportedly currently working on the three V12 cars that will replace its comparable current offerings: the 612 Scaglietti, 599 GTB, and Enzo. The 612's follow-on will be the first one to arrive, likely in early 2012, and another mule has been spotted out and about. It still sports the hood scoop (bigger engine with more power, anyone?) and California-style stacked tailpipes, and it looks like it might have a longer wheelbase to boot.
Rumor has it that the new direct-injected V12 will be 40 percent less polluting and get 40 percent better gas mileage than the 5.7-liter V12 presently in use, even as it's expected to get a slight 7-horsepower bump to 540. The fuel economy increase would provide a very respectable 16 MPG - not bad for a car that ought to hustle to 60 MPH in about 4.5 seconds. Check out a host of new spy photos in our gallery below. In case you're curious, the sticker on the steering wheel boss which reads 'Betrieb nur mit geschlossener Motorhaube' is an instruction telling drivers that the engine should only be started with the hood closed.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Ferrari 612 Scaglietti replacement mule

[Image: CarPix]

Spy Shots: First longer-wheelbase Ferrari 612 Scaglietti replacement spotted originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Working with Tags

I've been trying to get my blogging tags sorted out so that my tags in Blogger and my tags in FeedDemon are the same.  Given that FeedDemon now synchronises with Google Reader and Blogger is now a Google product I thought it would be quite straight forward but it ain't.   There is no migration, export or import facility that I can identify so I had to print off my Blogger tags and type them into FeedDemon manually.  This strikes me as quite odd!  Perhaps Google should devote some thought to making this a bit easier