(Tech) tales from the crypt ... Vista!

I’ve been running Vista for a week now, on a new dual-processor laptop. I’ve had a few driver compatibility issues, but I’m not sure if the fault lies with Microsoft or the third-party provider (who had lots of time to get their drivers ready for Vista). Aesthetically, Vista is a beautiful OS - the best Windows yet. Featurewise, I’m a big fan of the desktop gadgets, the Control Panel, and IE7 (which you don’t need Vista to run).


I bought a new laptop for one reason: to run Second Life. As I was waiting for my laptop to arrive in the mail, I started hearing horror stories - stories about Second Life not running on Vista. The stories got scarier when I heard that the problem centered on Vista laptops equipped with ATI Mobility video cards (e.g., my computer). The problem ultimately lies with ATI’s implementation of OpenGL. I’m not sure why ATI (or SL) hasn’t addressed the problem, but the beauty of the open-source universe is that even the little guy can come up with big solutions. In this case, the wunderkind is SL member Lockhart Cordoso, who tackled the problem, posted his solution on a Second Life forum, responded graciously to feedback and suggestions from other SL users, and improved his solution. If you’re running Vista with an ATI graphics card, download Lockhart Cordoso’s VistaSL ... and enjoy your second life!

Lockhart: you're a hero. And thanks for showing us what friendship looks like. Church (and church leaders): let's learn from this guy. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this blog post from Robbymac.

Another tale. Here’s a pleasant surprise I didn’t expect to find in Vista. In your Sample Music folder you’ll find ... (drum roll, please) ... sample music. I think it's good music. My favorite artist is Habib Koité, who is represented in Vista by two songs. Check out Din Din Wo (Little Child): compelling guitar sounds, enchanting West African rhythms, and pleading vocals. For the guitar players out there: Koité uses an open tuning on his guitar, based on a pentatonic scale. It's a modal flavour you don't get from chord-based open tunings.

Koité’s music will eventually be installed on the millions of PC’s that run Vista. A comparatively unknown artist is about to experience a parabolic rise in fame. This is right up there with putting Rick Warren on Starbucks coffee cups. Koité and Warren are showing us how marginal messages can go mainstream. Create something fantastic ... but don’t use the traditional channels to distribute it. Find an alternative delivery vehicle. Reminds me of the days when they packaged bubble gum with hockey cards (or was it the other way around?). It's how cross-cultural fertilization starts happening.