talkingDigital

I have been using Windows 7 for a few days. So far, I am pleasantly surprised at how snappy it is and how much Microsoft has cleaned up the interface. It is in most ways an improvement, even over Windows XP.

While I enjoy Windows 7, I have to wonder what Microsoft was thinking with the new character wallpapers. I will admit that I don’t hate them – I am a fan of Salvador Dali and similar artists that create disturbing artwork with great detail. Essentially, this is what you get with the new Windows 7 character wallpapers.

Some of the wallpapers seem to be a little Yellow Submarine inspired, others have a Powerpuff Girl’s appearance while a few are seem like they were inspired by nightmares of a 4-year-old after watching a Tim Burton marathon with a Wizard of Oz chaser.

Windows 7 Release Candidate Wallpaper: Characters – Windows 7 release candidate – Lifehacker.

Podcast: Play in new window

So, we got our Windows 7 House Party kit. Here’s what it looks like. We added some commentary and subtitles, so make sure that you close any YouTube ads that may come up by clicking on the little X on the lower right side..

Podcast: Play in new window

This is it! This is the very first actual episode of the talkingDigital podcast.

Yes, we did do another episode, but that was an episode 000 – essentially, it was just a pilot. This episode actually features content and even a little information.

In this episode we discuss:

Twitter spam followers – Folks who follow you on twitter, but they never do anything but send out spam such as marketing info, pitch diet plans or tweet about how you can get more followers with their program.

Windows 7 house party silliness – It is a mystery to everyone whether Microsoft knows how cheesy/campy/horrible their Windows 7 party videos and downloads are. But is the strategy working?

Smart phone update – Palm Pre received a major software update this week, Motorola recently announced two new Android phones (Cliq will release Oct 19 and another phone that is yet to be named or shown) and iPhone is as strong as ever.

Forum moderator rant – Some moderators take their position too seriously and prevent dialog (the purpose of a forum) from happening.

Picasa 3.5 – Face recognition, powerful tools and ease of use. So long iPhoto.