MSN Toolbar Suite

I hoped to get to this before Sriram Krishnan, and looks like I'm successful ;)

Anyways, it's not like I'm going to do a full-scale review the way he does it, but that's only because, just like he said in his review of the Google Desktop Search

I'm amazed at the size of the download - its only 440 Kb. Its half the size of the Google toolbar! If this had been a Microsoft utility, it would have been some 20 MB with some 5 dependencies and a service pack required.

While not exactly that large, it still clocks in at a pretty sizeable 4.70 MB.

Admittedly, the size is for the entire MSN Toolbar Suite, which includes 3 toolbars [the usual toolbar, the search deskbar, and some thingy for Outlook]. However, an option to download the components separately would be nice. Currently, only the toolbar can be downloaded separately. My most major grouse is, apart from the useless alliteration just used, I don't use Outlook in any avatar. Not MS, not Express. So how's the bundle helping me? [Incidentally, similar grouse with Google Desktop Search - add to that the fact that I don't use AOL]

I'm not going to waste precious dialup bandwidth getting a ~5 MB file that's still in beta. I believe the Godzilla has a 'broadband' connection, so lets just wait for his full review ;)

Finally, to round off things, I would like to state that Google Suggest officially rocks. Even though I'm yet to find a proper use for it...

Computer issues

While getting back from VIT, I chanced to blow a 100 bucks on the latest CHIP-India, which carried 2 CDs + a DVD filled with stuff that looked cool.

Anyways, long and short of it, when I installed Sygate Personal Firewall 6 point something, and then tried other stuff, nothing would happen. As it turned out, I thcame to the conclusion, after a lot of fiddling around, that the damned program has some sort of a memory leak which screws up my comp. So I ventured to install ZoneAlarm 5.1, and wonder of wonders! It works perfectly! Hence the change of logo in the links list...

Still on tech, I chucked my broken AVG 7, had AntiVir PE for a while, before downloading the entire 10 MB of the new AVG Free and installing that thingy. So yeah, I'm happy with my setup now. I just wish I could carry my comp wherever I go.

The last sentence above was/is a reference to my impending Mumbai trip. I hope to have a blast. Wish me luck! [And based on the +ve feedback from all of 2 people, I think I'll even put up a post detailing my daily activities, though not in explicit detail, which'll just lead to brain damage...]

Long overdue update

Lots of people have complained about the redundancy and unnecessary verbosity that plagues my words. Sheesh, bugger off :-P

Set up a new blog at MSN Spaces. So now, all my blogs are:

• Blogger


• LiveJournal


• LiveJournal - syndicated to the Blogger one


• Faces


• MSN Spaces

Oh yeah, and I'm well again! Oh food, how I've missed you!

Google's beginning to piss me off. I don't want to have to download some huge software thingy to upload pictures to my blog. And Google News is such an amazing service. The company's obstinacy in refusing to let anybody syndicate the news is perplexing...

Yuck

Been sick for a long time now. And hating every moment of it. Can't eat what I like, can't drink what I like, sheesh. Life sux.

Now that the fever's gone [and all the associated hoohaa - blood tests, doctor visits all wrapped up, forehead pe patti etc] there's this weird dry cough that irritates the hell out of me. I mean, I WANT MY COLD DRINKS!