The Rock That Hit Me
See that rock that fell from the sky? That's the one that hit me.
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Blabberbox: | Random blog-like posts from pftq. |  |
Some Inspiration From the Past
These days I don't know what I'm doing anymore. It seems completely illogical that I'd be on the path I am now given my history. What am I doing just making songs or chasing stocks when I used to make games, movies, entire websites, etc?
Sometimes I forget my frustrations, but every once in a while something like this shows up and just really tests my patience with myself:
http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/02/10/crash-bandicoot-as-a-startup/
Besides the fact I use to play those games when I was younger, being able to form a team and produce something on that scale was something I've always dreamed of doing. It's tough finding finding people of equal or better calibur though and even tougher to find those who share similar ambitions and drive. Like the author, I also learned most of my programming myself (home-brewed), so it's really hard to relate to colleagues who otherwise...[More]
Sometimes I forget my frustrations, but every once in a while something like this shows up and just really tests my patience with myself:
http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/02/10/crash-bandicoot-as-a-startup/
Besides the fact I use to play those games when I was younger, being able to form a team and produce something on that scale was something I've always dreamed of doing. It's tough finding finding people of equal or better calibur though and even tougher to find those who share similar ambitions and drive. Like the author, I also learned most of my programming myself (home-brewed), so it's really hard to relate to colleagues who otherwise...[More]
1043 unique view(s)
Sadness of the Eyes
There is sadness behind these eyes, but because there is nothing I can do about it, for the moment, I smile.
436 unique view(s)
Restless Dreams by Kyle Landry and Yarrow Whitfield
Restless Dreams by Kyle Landry and Yarrow Whitfield
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Fixing Limited WiFi/Bluetooth on Surface Pro
This is a one time issue I ran into on both my first Surface Pro and its replacement, so I think it might be just a corrupt preinstalled driver.
The symptoms are if you, within the first week or so of using the Surface Pro, start having limited connection with any WiFi or Bluetooth network. For Bluetooth, you may also be getting the option to connect via "Direct Connection" instead of "Access Point".
The fix is to go to the Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager > Network Adapters.
Just uninstall all devices and restart.
Windows 8 will automatically reinstall the default drivers and everything works again.
Note: For Bluetooth, you also need to pair up your phone and laptop again. This is the case even with Windows Update updating your drivers, which can be annoying.
The symptoms are if you, within the first week or so of using the Surface Pro, start having limited connection with any WiFi or Bluetooth network. For Bluetooth, you may also be getting the option to connect via "Direct Connection" instead of "Access Point".
The fix is to go to the Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager > Network Adapters.
Just uninstall all devices and restart.
Windows 8 will automatically reinstall the default drivers and everything works again.
Note: For Bluetooth, you also need to pair up your phone and laptop again. This is the case even with Windows Update updating your drivers, which can be annoying.
1468 unique view(s)
Surface Pro - First Impressions
So I picked up a Surface Pro on its release a couple days ago. Funny enough the Microsoft Store in Corte Madera was fairly empty and there was no trouble at all picking one up in 128GB (plenty of stock). Guess they aren't very good at marketing.
I installed pretty much everything I normally keep on my laptop onto it without a hitch. Virtually no cons so far. Runs Photoshop, Premiere, FL Studio, Visual Studio, WinSCP, etc all just fine. Type cover keyboard works great and I'm able to run anything I normally do on my regular desktop. If you don't like Windows 8, you can just download ClassicShell which brings back the Start menu and lets you switch to Desktop mode permanently, making it essentially Windows 7. Even the lack of 3G/4G is easily fixed by tethering it via Bluetooth to the cellphone in my pocket.
The only thing that bugged me so far is the type cover sometimes is not responsive; noticed this occurred the most when the device was left charging overnight or running on the carpet for a few hours. Reconnecting doesn't help; usually it just resolves itself if you turn off the unit for some time to cool off. Maybe heat or static charge bugs it or something, I'm not sure, but the few times that happened were when the tablet got warm lying flat on carpet or on someone's lap.
*Update 20130218: Contacted MS's Surface team about the keyboard issue and they promptly shipped me a new Surface Pro. New one works fine so far, so no more issues there.
Otherwise pretty content here, don't think I'll be bothering to look for competing products (currently none out in release). Been waiting a long time for a real upgrade to my existing Dell M1330 laptop that would be significantly lighter and still as powerful for video editing etc. The stylus and touchscreen are just pluses on top of that.
In retrospect, the lack of demand in the store and all the bad press just makes it more perplexing whether I'm missing out on some defect of the product or something. I don't really understand the comparison to regular tablets (lack of apps, etc) since the functionality is entirely different with it being a full-featured computer, but Microsoft supposedly only stocking 1-2 Surface Pros in some other retail stores around the country doesn't really help its own case either.
I installed pretty much everything I normally keep on my laptop onto it without a hitch. Virtually no cons so far. Runs Photoshop, Premiere, FL Studio, Visual Studio, WinSCP, etc all just fine. Type cover keyboard works great and I'm able to run anything I normally do on my regular desktop. If you don't like Windows 8, you can just download ClassicShell which brings back the Start menu and lets you switch to Desktop mode permanently, making it essentially Windows 7. Even the lack of 3G/4G is easily fixed by tethering it via Bluetooth to the cellphone in my pocket.
The only thing that bugged me so far is the type cover sometimes is not responsive; noticed this occurred the most when the device was left charging overnight or running on the carpet for a few hours. Reconnecting doesn't help; usually it just resolves itself if you turn off the unit for some time to cool off. Maybe heat or static charge bugs it or something, I'm not sure, but the few times that happened were when the tablet got warm lying flat on carpet or on someone's lap.
*Update 20130218: Contacted MS's Surface team about the keyboard issue and they promptly shipped me a new Surface Pro. New one works fine so far, so no more issues there.
Otherwise pretty content here, don't think I'll be bothering to look for competing products (currently none out in release). Been waiting a long time for a real upgrade to my existing Dell M1330 laptop that would be significantly lighter and still as powerful for video editing etc. The stylus and touchscreen are just pluses on top of that.
In retrospect, the lack of demand in the store and all the bad press just makes it more perplexing whether I'm missing out on some defect of the product or something. I don't really understand the comparison to regular tablets (lack of apps, etc) since the functionality is entirely different with it being a full-featured computer, but Microsoft supposedly only stocking 1-2 Surface Pros in some other retail stores around the country doesn't really help its own case either.
1227 unique view(s)