Another Progress Report

In case you're wondering what happened to the review of PerfectDisk 10 Professional: it's on its way. But I need to check some of the benchmark numbers first. Both PerfectDisk and Windows Disk Defragmenter appear to perform worse on some of the 64-bit Vista benchmarks. This is unexpected, so I am running the 64-bit (fragmented) Vista benchmarks again. Stand by ...

Revenge 3,672,102 times over

This video was posted on 6th July 2009, and is the first of 3 videos on the subject.
From the BBC: Dave Carroll composed "United Breaks Guitars" after his $3500 Taylor acoustic was damaged at Chicago's O'Hare airport. After 9 months they continued to deny his damages claim.
It has now had 3.5 million hits in 10 days, and has been a PR disaster for the airline, which has seen its share price plunge by 10%, wiping $180m off the company's value.
Carroll says he was offered $1,200 in cash and flight vouchers as compensation - while United says they will be using his video for training purposes to ensure all customers receive better service from the company in future.
Update Monday 27th July: 4,204,378 views and still climbing.
Update Friday 7th August: 4,722,493 views and still climbing.

Drunk Pilot | Disruptive Passenger | United fined for not revealing Flight Information | Fee Fight: United Airlines vs. Travel Agents

Please try to break my web site

I'm really proud of this web site. It has taken me hours and hours of work, and it is capable of quite a bit of database editing. Now I want you to try to break it, or at least find bugs.
Until the end of July the site will use the Microsoft Northwind Traders database, a clump of test data used by programmers to develop and test database applications. You should have full editing rights to all records, so screwing up the data doesn't count as a bug, unless it breaks the web site somehow.
I am also looking for feedback on how intuitive the site is, and how easy it is to use the features. I'd also appreciate constructive comments about the layout, styling, and so on. Remember that the site is trying to look plain and simple, because the data is the most important part. You can visit the site at www.fishwisepro.com.
It uses Microsoft IIS7 and ASP.NET 3.5, together with a really cool web control called ASPxGridView from www.devexpress.com. The site is hosted by www.webhost4life.com in the USA. If you manage to break it, please let me know what you did. If you are using a browser other than Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or Google Chrome 2.0.172.37, then let me know if it does anything weird. Thanks in advance

Update: Testing is over. Thanks for all who helped. I will post another version of this site at www.mustang.co.za at some point.

As the mafia would say: if you breaka my site, I smasha your face!

PerfectSpeed aims to speed up your PC

According to their press release, this morning Raxco Software launched PerfectSpeed, a fully automated all-in-one utility suite that includes a certified disk defragmenter, safe registry cleaner, duplicate file remover, file shredder and advanced privacy protection through trace erasing and more. The suite includes the engine of PerfectDisk 10, the award-winning Microsoft Certified disk defragmenter with support for Windows 7.
In conjunction with this launch, Raxco also announced special trade-up pricing to PerfectSpeed for users of Microsoft’s Windows Live OneCare. As Kent Wilber, one of thousands of PerfectSpeed beta testers said, “I love it. I had been looking for a replacement for Windows OneCare, and PerfectSpeed has everything I was looking for and more. Its automation makes it basically effortless. And the fact that it includes a safe registry cleaner, duplicate file remover and privacy eraser was a pleasant surprise and great bonus that will save me time and money, since I won’t need separate tools for those tasks.”
PerfectSpeed includes a complete PC Performance Check and a set of intuitive and easy-to-use Wizards that help tailor PerfectSpeed to the unique needs of a user’s PC, laptop or netbook. After a quick one-time setup, PerfectSpeed runs automatically, ensuring the user’s system is optimized to peak performance and stays that way.
PerfectSpeed’s components include:

• Disk defrag and optimization powered by PerfectDisk and including patented SMARTPlacement optimization, exclusive AutoPilot Scheduling and the industry’s only total free space consolidation
• Registry cleaner with exclusive SafeClean technology that eliminates system instability and problems caused by conventional registry cleaners
• Automatic trace eraser that encompasses multiple browsers to protect users from malicious eyes
• Military-strength file shredder that permanently deletes files so that criminals and others can’t recover data, even if they have forensic data recovery tools
• Duplicate and temporary file remover that recaptures valuable space, including space-consuming duplicate music, video and picture files
• Tweak tool to easily customize the performance, security and appearance of Windows systems.

PerfectSpeed is available immediately from http://www.perfectspeedpcoptimizer.com or www.perfectdisk.com. It is available for a free 15-day trial or for purchase at special introductory pricing through July 31st. Regular pricing is set at $29.99 for a single user, $59.99 for a 3-user license, and $99.99 for a family license that covers all PCs in a household. The special introductory pricing is $19.99 for a single license, $39.99 for a 3-user license, and $69.99 for a family license.
I will include this product in the 2009 Defrag Shootout

Progress Report

This is just a quick note to say that I have finished writing the first half of my PerfectDisk 10 Professional review, and will post it as soon as possible.
Work pressure has brought a halt to further benchmark testing, as I am spending a lot more time away from my office right now. Things will return to normal in the next few days. Thanks for your patience

Puran Defrag 6.1 released

Puran Software has just released version 6.1 of its Puran Defrag product. It adds support for Windows 7, and has some new pricing options, starting at US$19.95 for a single copy, and better discounts for multiple licenses.
I use Puran Defrag on Penny's laptop and my own, and think it is an excellent product, especially for home PCs and laptops.

Wild Inn, Venterstad hotel with charm and grace

On Friday on our journey back from Port Elizabeth we stayed overnight at The Wild Hotel in Venterstad. It's a small detour from the main PE-Bloemfontein route, and well worth it. Driving north from PE, you take the R390 from Cradock, through Hofmeyr and Steynsburg, and then turn right into Venterstad. It's a long, empty tar road with wonderful views and almost no traffic. It was a pleasure to drive, compared with the trucks and slow vehicles on the N10.
When we arrived we felt like we'd stepped back in time a few decades, to the kind of hotel your aunt would run: everything feels like home. It's unpretentious and tastefully decorated, with comfortable rooms, a proper bath with piping hot water, and excellent meals. It even has a small reading library and a piano. There is a public bar with a pool table and slot machines. When we arrived on Friday night there was a wedding reception in full swing next door, but our rooms were well away from the party and there was no disturbance at all.
Christi Vorster the owner gave us personal attention and cooked the meals for us. My Lamb Chops were cooked to perfection, and everyone enjoyed their meal. The following day we had breakfast and Christi gave us some tips on the best route to follow past the Gariep Dam and then on to Bloemfontein.
The place has the privacy and facilities of a hotel, with the personal charm and service of a B&B, and the whole experience added a pleasant chapter to the journey home. We will certainly recommend the place to our friends.