1. A brand new computer running Windows 7 with all updates and patches installed – This is my new work laptop.
2. A new install Windows XP machine with all updates and patches installed – I loaded this machine with a fresh install of XP to test my theory
3. Windows Vista Machine with all updates and patches – this the machine I use everyday at work.
4. Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard – My everyday use personal machine.

Windows 7 machine

Much to my surprise the brand new out of the box Dell precision m4400 Windows 7 machine reported a whopping 1034 errors. It found the following errors:

• Registry errors – 956
• Missing shortcuts – 23
• Missing shared files – 24
• Missing application path – 0
• Missing help files – 0
• Invalid file extensions -31

Windows XP machine

The XP machine did a little bit better than the Windows 7 machine. It reported 51 errors.

• Registry errors – 43
• Missing shared files – 0
• Missing applications path – 0
• Missing help files – 0
• Invalid file extensions – 8
• Device driver error – 0

Windows Vista machine

I expected this machine to have the most errors. I used this machine everyday and install and uninstall programs in a regular basis. I was surprised to find out it only reported 419 errors.

• Registry errors – 17
• Missing shortcuts 286
• Missing shared files – 24
• Missing application path – 0
• Missing fonts – 0
• Missing help files – 0
• Unknown file extensions - 89

Macbook Pro

I was not expecting any significant finds on this machine. It is a mac after all. The software found 500 errors. While this is more of a joke than anything. While there are viruses for the mac, I’ve never been infected in the 8 years I’ve been a mac user.

• Internet cache – 149
• Logs – 348
• System cache – 3

Conclusion

The conclusion is that finallyfast.com is not worth spending a cent on. Your computer will not suddenly be blazing fast by fixing application paths, missing shortcuts or deleting temporary files. While there is a a certain performance to  be gained from doing those things, it could be very minimal at best. Most computers out there are running slow as a result from being infected with spyware, viruses and malware. While ascentive claims to remove viruses, spyware and malware, it does not scan for them in the product offered at finallyfast.com, they have a separate product for that.

The results are a clear example of how deceptive their practices are. All the machines are running fine. Two of them are brand new! And while they errors the software found may be legit, they will certainly not make those computers any faster.

The average computer user is not savvy enough to realize that the errors found on any of the test machines are not preventing the computer from running faster, and if there is any improvement on speed it will be minimal.

Don’t waste your money on this! There are plenty of alternatives out there, some that are very good and free.

Free Alternatives

Here is a list of all the tools I use when I am presented with an infected computer. I use a combination of tools, and while some work in some cases, while others don’t. I’ve had very good success using them. And best of all, they are FREE!

1. Ad-aware – Free spyware/malvare detection and removal tool.
2. Free AVG – Free antivirus.
3. HijackThis – Great little tool for removing malware that Hijack your browser.
4. Spybot Search & Destroy – If Ad-Aware did not find it, Spybot will.
5. Malwarebytes – Another great spyware/malware detection and removal tool.

So there you have it. The Free alternative to making your computer finally fast.

If you are interested in learning a little bit of history on how one of the most prominent scientists of all time eventually was able to publish one of the most influential books all time. This is a movie you cannot miss.

Giant iPod touch

Just like the ex-president of Google China predicted in previous weeks. The iPad is nothing else than a glorified giant iPod touch. A beautiful, glorified giant iPod touch, that is. The fact of the matter is that while it is a beautiful device. The only two significant features – other than the larger screen and more horsepower – are the eBook features and the iWork integration. And while those two features may be enough to convince some people, those two features alone will not be enough to make the iPad a successful product.

Price

The iPhone became a very successful product for Apple, only after Apple slashed the price in half. The price drop gave Apple the ability to appeal to other consumers outside of Apple’s consumer base. The phone suddenly became and option for the average consumer looking for a new phone. The success of the iPhone allowed Apple to spin-off another profitable business, the app store. The app store is a very profitable business for Apple. Apple takes 30% of the price of any app sold through the app store. Apple made an estimated 1.4 billion dollars in revenue from the app store last year. All of this could not have been possible if the iPhone was still priced at its initial price of $599.

The same holds true for the iPad. In order for the iPad to be successful it must be affordable to the typical consumer, not just Apple fans, like myself. The main reason why Apple’s laptop and desktop sales have not seen a significant increase in sales with the success of the iPhone and iPod, still boggles me. With that many people walking into the Apple store to buy iPhone and iPods, there aren’t many snatching any of Apple’s laptops and desktops, which are equally as appealing as all other Apple products. The difference lies in the big price gap between comparable PC and Macs. The iPad will face the same fate if the price is not lowered. Apple does not seem to understand that the success of this device will not come from the profit they make from selling their hardware, but rather from the money they can make from the sale of books, movies, music and apps. Apple should follow the gaming industry and sell the iPad at a loss, or with a small margin of profit. That will put the iPad in more hands, thus increasing the pool of potential content comsumers. With the current iPad prices, the average consumer will shy away from forking over $500.00 for something he/she doesn’t really need.

Not another monthly charge

Another reason why consumer will shy away from the new iPad is the need to pay another $30 a month for internet access on another device. My wife and I currently own iPhones, which we pay $30 a month each for our unlimited data plans. If we were to each get an iPad, because we love apple so damn much, that would meanwe would have to fork another $30 each to get a data plan on each device. That’s on top of the $40 a month we currently pay AT&T for home internet. We would be paying AT&T a total of $160 a month. Just for internet access! Too much! Some may argue that the 3G plan is optional, but let’s face. At that point the iPhone becomes a better device, and there is no point to buy an iPad anymore. The bigger screen and eBook reading capability would be the only two valid arguments, and the validity will vary according to your needs.

Missing features

During the keynote Steve Jobs promised that the iPad would improve the experience of some key things. One of them being web browsing. I find that very hard to believe, when there is no flash support built-into the iPad. How is that making the web browsing experience better Mr. Jobs?
The lack of multi-tasking is also a big flaw of the device. The inability to run multiple applications is a big drawback for me. I want to be able to listen to my AOL radio application and surf the web at the same time. Is that too much to ask? What if you needed to work on a Numbers spreadsheet and Keynote presentation at the same time? With a netbook, you can do both things natively. They will be slow, but they can be done, and something is better than nothing.

What do I need this for?

One thing I just don’t get is what the average consumer needs this for? Most of the functionality that comes with iPad already exists in the iPhone and other smart phones, and the laptops most of us carry around daily. Steve tried to knock down the netbook, but Steve forgets what the purpose of the netbook is. The purpose of the netbook is not to make the browsing, email, photos, video, music, game and eBooks experience better. It was to make portable computing more, well, more portable. And to en extent they have succeeded. The only device that most consumers don’t have that the iPad could be a potential option for is the eBook reader. Most users have all the technology they need embedded in a phone and a laptop that they have become accustomed to carrying for quite sometime now.

Failure

The iPad will be a successful product with high-end costumers and Apple lovers like myself. The average consumer will not buy it, unless some of the flaws are addressed, the biggest one being the price. I am tempted to buy it simply for the eBook reader capability, and well, because I love this stuff. To steal a line from the presidential campaign. What about Joe the plummer? Joe the plummer will probably not even care to take a bite out of that Apple.

Enable SSH

The first thing we have to do is to enable SSH access to our ESXi host. I know this works for ESXi 4.0 I have not tested in other versions, but feel free to try it.

1. On the ESXi console press ALT+F1.
2. Type unsupported and hit enter.
3. Type in your password – If you did not set a password the type unsupported as the password.
4. Now, on the command line type vi /etc/inetd.conf.
5. Look for a the line that starts with #ssh.
6. Highlight the move your cursor so that is on top of the #.
7. Hit x to remove the # from the line.
8. Hit Esc key
9. type :wq and hit enter.
10. To make sure your file saved vi /etc/inetd.conf in the command line and make sure the # is not at the beginning of the line anymore. If it is, repeat steps 5 – 9.
11. Restart your ESXi server. SSH is now enabled.

Manipulating files with WinSCP

1. Download WinSCP from here.
2. Run WinSCP
3. Under host name type your ESXi server ip address.
4. Type root for your username
5. Type in the root password
6. Change the file protocol to SCP and click login

This should open a file browser with the contents of your ESXi server. You are now free move files from your PC to your ESXi server without using the crappy data store browser that comes with Vsphere client.

Enjoy!

1. Insert USB key.
2. Open a command prompt type “disk” and press enter.
3. Issue the “list disk” command to get a list of all disks on your system and press enter.
4. Issue the “select disk #”, where the number denotes the number of the disk on the list that you wish to select, and press enter. Make sure you have the correct disk; otherwise you could be in for a surprise.
5. Type “clean” and press enter. This will erase everything on the selected disk.
6. Next type “create partition primary” and hit enter.
7. Now that the primary partition has been created. Issue the “select partition 1″ command and press enter.
8. Set the partition active by issuing the “active” command and press enter.
9. To format the newly created and activated partition. Issue the “format fs-fat32″ and hit enter. You can also enter “format fs-fat32 quick” to perform a quick format.
10. Type exit and hit enter.

That’s it!!! proceed to load the files you need the USB drive to boot. You can find files at bootdisk.com

Symantec SUCKS!!!! At least their tech support. I went through at least five customer service reps and not one of them was a bit competent.

If you are experiencing the same problem just follow these instructions. Hopefully it will make your life easier.

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/308627.htm

I took the book home and read it. Livio presents an actually well written book. Anyone interested in reading about popular science, or anyone with limited mathematical background will constantly find themselves saying to themselves “I did not know that” or “Ah, that is interesting.” Other than that, you will not gain much from it.

The truth is that the book doesn’t do justice to the title. The majority of the book is nothing more than a historical account of several mathematical topics, which Livio then links to how they relate to our present day life. That is all great, but he never really goes on to say how and where does he come up with the conclusion that god is indeed or is not a mathematician.

This brings me back to what I really think is the important part on this. My wife was completely right. Before one can say anything about god, or anything else for that matter, the object, place or thing of which is referring to must be defined. Furthermore that definition must either well understood or stated. She wasn’t completely right, but she was on the right track. Before Livio can say talk about god in any sense he must define what god means. The word god can have some many different meaning to different people. What is even more frustrating is that a well respected scientist would use a catchy title in an attempt to sell books. In my opinion a more fitting title would be “Great achievements  in mathematics and how they relate to everyday life.” Furthermore, under this vision, what prevents god from being a chemist, physicists or biologist?

The last thing I would like to see is scientist turning science into propaganda. Science is science, and it can never be mistaken for religion or faith. Even when they attempt to explain the universe, they are totally different practices and should not be juxtaposed.

It is time to look forward now, and continue to strive to become a better University. To increase our exposure at the national level, and give students, alumni and band wagon jumpers something to cheer for.

GO COOGS!!!!

Change your Dollars to Pesos

This is probably the most important part. If you pay in pesos you will be charged more due to the exchange rate. At the end of the day you will pay much more less if you pay in pesos than if you pay in dollars.

Transportation to and from the Airport

If your hotel does not come with transportation to and from the airport you will have to figure out a way to get your hotel. Arriving is harder than leaving. Only a certain cab company is allowed to operate out of the airport. You will be bombarded with offers to take you to your hotel, all ranging from $40.00 to $50.00 USD. Too much!!! Lucky, there is a bus station right on the airport. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE A CAB TO YOUR HOTEL!  As soon as you leave customs to your left hand side there will be a red bus ticket office for ADO. This bus takes you to the Cancun bus station where you can find a taxi for much less than they will charge you at the airport. Buses leave every 15 minutes and cost $45.00 pesos per person, kids are half price. At the bus station you can get a taxi for about $100 – $150 pesos to the hotel zone (zona hotelera).

The best way to get a good fare is to figure out how much you want to pay and be ready to talk the drivers down to that price. As soon as someone approaches you, ask them how much they charge. If you are only willing to pay $200 pesos or $20USD tell them no thank you, they will come back with a counter offer at this point you can tell them I have $200 pesos and I am going to this hotel, do you want to take me for that? If not tell them you will take the ADO bus. You can easily talk them down from $40 USD to $50USD to $20USD. The truth is that $20USD is a good price compared to what you will pay in the states and $20 is a well paid fare in Mexico.

Once you have checked out of your hotel and are ready to come back home. Walk to the nearest street and stop any taxi driver and ask them how much charge you to take you the airport. You can get a taxi for around $200 pesos to $150 pesos which amounts to about $15USD.

ACTIVITIES

If you are planning to do any activities you can save tons of money by doing most things yourself. You will find many companies offering tours to all the different attractions and places to visit.

XCARET

The best place to visit by far, according to the locals, is XCARET. It is also the most expensive! While there I saw tours ranging from $100USD per person to $150USD per person, and that only included entrance to the park. The truth is that the basic entrance to the park is $69USD when you buy tickets at the park itself. ADO has four morning buses at 8am, 9am, 10am and 11am, with two returning at 9:40pm and 9:50pm everyday. The price for the round trip would be around $12USD. You can easily save $20USD to $70USD per person by going straight to the park. Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to go there, but I hope we will return one day.

CHICHEN ITZA

Another must see place is the historic Chichen Itza. The eight wonder of the world, seem a little over rated to me, specially since the Teotihican ruins I thought were much more impressive. Here are again you will find trips ranging from $70USD to $100USD per person. If you decide go by yourself you can save quite a bit of money. The entrance to the park is around $16USD. Here again to can take the ADO bus straight to from Cancun to Chichen Itza. ADO only has one first class bus per day to Chichen Itza. It leaves Cancun at 8:00am and returns at 4:30pm the trip is 3 hours long, so be prepared. The price for the bus ticket is around $26USD, so you can go and come back for around $42USD per person.

SNOKERLING AND OTHER WATER ACTIVTIES.

My wife loves snorkeling, so we wanted to do some of that while we were there. We were able to find a place that had snorkeling and a dolphin encounter. We paid $120USD for the four of us, which included food. While there we paid an extra $13USD to do a snorkeling tour. It was a very nice and inexpensive park. They had a range of other activities that were included in the package, like swim the Sharks, swim with manta rays and a bike tour. The island is located in Isla Muejres and transportation was included. They also had transportation from the island to down town isla mujeres, which was also included. All in all we had a really good time at a very reasonable price. You should check it out!

Do you know any good Cancun money saving tips. Leave it in the comments.