Chris Barnes’ Jottings

I’ve just installed the Windows version iTunes to have a play with (I don’t own an iPod, but have heard good things about it in its own right) and it came bundled with QuickTime.

I had shunned QuickTime way back when they started showing an annoying “Upgrade to Pro” nag screen when starting the application - what did it for me was that there was no “don’t remind me again” option. Instead I opted for QuickTime Alternative which was able to handle any .mov files I encountered. Both this and the excellent Real Alternative (I’m not a fan of RealPlayer either) are available here at the time of writing.

Anyway, it seems that you can get rid of the splash screen by setting your date forward a few years, launching QuickTime then clicking the “Later” button. Then set your date back to normal and you shouldn’t be reminded for those few years.

I’ve found that this works even if you have run QuickTime before (i.e. not from a clean installation). Strangely, QuickTime seems to crash on startup if you’re a little over-zealous with your date-setting: I tried both 2099 and 2050 with no joy, so settled for the more conservative 2010, by which time I expect I will have at least re-installed my OS and QuickTime.

This site is a humorous take on all those PC modding websites out there.

There are a few practical tips but most of the articles are there just to make you laugh.

My personal favourite is the hard disk speaker system - I’ve tried it and it works!

If you’ve got an hour or so to spare, I recommend making a visit.

Here’s a picture of a cash machine on Aston Uni campus displaying a Windows error message. Made me chuckle

Sorry about the picture quality - it was taken with my camera phone at night. In case you can’t make out the text, it says:

Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime LibraryRuntime Error!Program C:nwkappsNWKAppCore15.EXEAbnormal program termination

So they’re using Visual C++, and most probably Windows NT 4.0 from the style of the dialog box.

Strangely enough, the machine still worked perfectly, albeit with part of the screen blocked by the error message! It has since been fixed - unfortunately I didn’t catch it rebooting

There’s also a pool game machine in the local pub, Gosta Green, running Windows 95, and the JPM machines (Millionnaire etc.) seem to be PC-based too.

I’m halfway through reading Manna, a sci-fi book (freely readable online) about robots and their impact on society. It’s a fantastic read and I thoroughly recommend it.

Update: Just finished! I reckon this would make a good movie, although maybe the geekiness would need to be toned down a little.

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