Well just under two years my Xbox 360 decided it does not want me to play it anymore.  Upon hitting the power button I am greeted with this lovely error screen which ultimately tells me my GPU has failed.  I spoke with a Microsoft Xbox rep on Sunday, which confirmed to me this was not under warranty, and it would cost $100 to repair.  That really upset me as it's a very common hardware problem among 360's.



The Xbox 360 I have is one that doesn't have a large HD or an HDMI o...

Since nearly the beginning of the Windows Vista launch back in 2007, animated wallpapers were only available for people who opted for the Ultimate Version of Windows Vista.  This was a very exciting announcement, but as time went on it was obvious other editions of Vista such as Home Premium were becoming the choice of most consumers.  Stardock announced the availability of DeskScapes for Vista Ultimate users which was showcased as an enhancement to Windows DreamScene.  DeskScapes...

Another week down, and another weekend is upon us.  This was another week where I had a difficult time choose the picks for this week.  I shouldn't complain though because that is actually a good thing. 

Now for this weeks picks!



 

Conspiracy for CursorFX
by J. Aroche

J. Aroche always comes through with some great CursorFx themes.  I especially like the animations on this one.

 

Conspiracy for Iconpackager
by J. Aroche

Well I guess the cu...

WindowBlinds 6.1 was recently released, and one of its new features is the ability to change the background in Windows Explorer.  This is a really cool feature, and adds another level of customization to Windows.  There are several ways you can customize the Explorer backgrounds.  There are over 20 included backgrounds you can change them to, and you can also change the color and opacity. 

You can find these options in the "Explorer Backgrounds" tab under the "Look & Feel...

This is the screencast to go along with the article about changing Windows cursors with Stardock's CursorFX.

I'm still amazed to this day of how a small segment of people react when presented with the notion that they might actually have to pay for a piece of software.  Some people actually act offended when they see that a developer, whether it's a big-time company, or just some guy programming in his bedroom, puts a small price on something they spend their time working on. They will rant and rave of how great the product is, but when they see a price tag, even it's just a few dollars, they scof...

I am a big fan of WordPress. It is what this blog uses, and many of my friends and associates use it as well for their blogging needs. I stick with WordPress because it’s powerful, but easy to setup and use. Having the ability to expand it by use plugins makes it even more appealing. I wanted to list my top 5 favorite WordPress plugins for anyone out there using, or thinking about using WordPress for their blog.

cforms II. If you have a blog you would most likely want people to con...

This is basically what would happen if islamic terrorists were given full access to our legal system.


Eight years after the USS Colewas attacked by a motorboat packed with explosives, all of the six menconvicted of the strike have escaped from prison, or been freed byYemeni officials.

 

I just caught this post by Brandon LeBlanc at the Windows Experience Blog today about a new application for photographers from Microsoft.

Microsoft today has made available a new tool for photographers using Windows for their digital photos: Microsoft Pro Photo Tools V1. This application lets you quickly edit the metadata on digital photos you've shot with your camera - including RAW formats.

Link: The Windows Experience Blog : Into Digital Photography? Check out Microsoft Pro Phot...

This Week in Skinning is here!  Yes, it's that of the week again, and this edition covers most of the last week of April.  Now that summer is getting even closer, we usually see a slow down in skin submissions just because people go on vacation, take breaks, etc.  We have seen a little bit of a slow down, but I hope we can keep a steady stream of submissions coming through.

Since it is the beginning of the month, it's also time for this months edition of featured .dreams (anima...

April saw another good month for .dreams, with many submissions from our "regular" .dream makers, and a couple of new faces as well.Now for this months video!  To use .dreams (animated wallpaper) you need to have Windows Vista and Stardock's DeskScapes (free) installed.  If you are an Object Desktop subscriber, you have beta access to DeskScapes 2.0 which will run on virtually any version of Vista.The .dreams featured in this months video can be found at the links below.The Rift by The...

Fantastic!  All we need now is another government entitlement program.

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medicare is lurching toward disaster and it is too late for the Bush Administration and Congress to do anything about it, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said on Tuesday.He said the next administration will have to act to stop rising costs and get control of the $400 billion federal health insurance plan for the elderly, which now covers 44 million people."

Have you ever been writing that important report for your boss and suddenly, Word just "unexpectedly" stopped working?  Or maybe the spreadsheet you have been working on for weeks gives you that strange corrupt file error?  Regardless of the reasons, I'm sure it's safe to say all of us have had some type of similar experience regarding losing important data. 

Backing up data is always one of the first things people tell you to do, but lets face it, many of us just forget or don...

You have heard a lot of Skype lately, mainly due to the fact that we use it to record the WinCustomize SkinCast.  It's a great way for people across the country, or world, to communicate and participate in podcasts.  While Skype has some advanced features, it's really easy to get the basics setup, and within just a few minutes you can be online.

Once you get it installed, just signup for your account, add some contacts, and you are pretty much set.  You do need some type of m...