So, with Parallels Workstation 2.1b5 released today, you can actually enable full screen at the native resolution of the host OS. So, naturally, I had to fire up Virtue Desktops and toss a few Parallels instances around. Here's a movie of me flipping through Mac OS X, Ubuntu Linux, and Windows XP. I had hoped by bumping up to 30fps, you could more easily see the cube transition. Alas:

(4.2MB Quicktime Movie)

Lisper Zach Beane put together a Diesel Sweeties-esque speech bubble maker called SayWhat.

Yes, Boot Camp, darling of the blog press. While everyone else was waxing rhapsodic about it, I was busy installing The Beast. A moment later, and what's announced? Parallels. Okay, fine. That too, goes on.

First impressions? Well, I was minorly miffed to see XP outpacing OS X for pystones. From what I gather, though, pystones on Windows uses wall time vs. CPU time, so it might not be a true Apples vs. Oranges (heh) measurement.

In any case, this should make it easier to diagnose simple Internet Explorer issues with the apps we develop, and Boot Camp may actually tempt me to offer up shekels for the likes of Oblivion (I hear it's all the rage).

So, in a fit of gadget lust - like a junkie, I need new tech fixes sooner and sooner after getting the last - I ordered a new Sony Ericsson K750i straight from Hong Kong. I used to have a Sony Ericsson T610, and it was a wonderful, tiny bit of kit. I had "upgraded" to a Nokia 3650 after Amber unfortunately sent the T610 through the laundry. It was ... not a Sony Ericsson. Yes, it had Python, but that didn't make up for its bulk, its slow and cumbersome interface, and its general plasticky tackiness.

Ah, Sony Ericsson. If Apple is ever to release an iPhone, I should hope they Roofie you and ply you for your secrets first. Snappy interface. Simple, broad and shallow. And a 2-megapixel camera! As much as my first Nikon Coolpix 950. So, after more research (finding outstanding photos by David Helán), I dropped the cash and took the plunge.

It's barely larger than the T610 (and truly a runt next to the 3650) in every dimension, but is a huge jump in refinement and responsiveness. Granted, it's a few years old, but for me, it's a nice top-of-the-line phone. It also does the whole Walkman™ thing, though that's less of an interest to me since I plonked down the greenbacks for a 60GB iPod video back in January.

Spurred on by David's photos, and the promise that, "Sure, kid, it's not the glass, it's the eye," I started taking some snapshots around the garden this evening. I've added my Flickr badge to the sidebar, too. You can also subscribe directly to my Flickr photostream in RSS or Atom.