Using PuTTY on Windows 7 is a slightly disappointing experience… I’m starting to really like the “Jump List” feature – more on the Start Button than anywhere else… It’s great to have all my Remote Desktop Connections at my fingertips (so to speak), and even better to be able to “pin” the ones I really want to keep – but having all this is making PuTTY’s site selection seem really clunky…

I’ve found a tutorial over on the Microsoft Blog for adding items to the Destinations popup for programs in the taskbar… I only wish I knew how the new Remote Desktop software does it, since it seems to manage it without files…

Jump Into Jump Lists – Part 1
Jump Into Jump Lists – Part 2
Jump Into Jump Lists – Part 3

Start the year on a high! That’s what everyone says – particularly, says the cynical part of me, the people organising New Year’s parties…  I don’t want to be the Grinch (I’d be just a few days too late, for one thing) but I disagree whole-heartedly.

Last year, my housemates and I held a spectacular party to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.  Friends I hadn’t seen for ages turned up, and a fantastic time was had by all.  There wasn’t much that could have gone better – well, one thing, but the miscreant responsible still hasn’t been identified, and that’s all water under the bridge now.  Still, following on from that amazing start, there wasn’t much that could be improved for the year.  A number of amazing things happened to me, but not much could compare to starting the New Year on such a high note – aside, of course, from the fact of my engagement to the most amazing girl in the world, who helped ensure that the said New Year’s party went with such a swing…

So, this year, I’m going to start on a low.  I had fun with some friends this year, no doubt about it, but I miss my girl (currently about 80 miles away), and I didn’t get to celebrate in style.  I’m also brining in the New Year with a mostly absent voice and a 3 day (and counting) headache – hopefully the tail end of this winter’s cold/flu thing (although I fear the worst is yet to come).  If it wasn’t for that, I’d probably have put a bit more effort into having a fun party – it’s not the fault of the people I was with by a long shot.  Still, by my judgement, this year has far more to offer – I’m not saying that the only way is up, but certainly I’m not already bumping my head on the ceiling.

I say to you – let’s start this year on a Medium!

This is a new project for me. I’ve attempted various blogs before, but never with a serious attitude and a plan to continue them through-out an entire year – nor with a number of pre-planned posts for dry spells.

The plan is to be funny, topical and entertaining; failing that, I’ll just vent whatever frustrations I’m feeling at the time. I’ve tried it before and failed, but this time I have a secret weapon: I made a New Year’s Resolution!

Most New Year’s Resolutions go the way of the dodo within a week – or at the first sight of chocolate cake, whichever comes first.  This may indeed be what happens to this blog, but my last plan conceived in this state of mind had me going to the gym at 6am for nearly 3 months – so I have high hopes.

Part of this is of course an experiment – can I maintain the necessary level of creativity over a long period.  Experience says yes – though I struggle at it, I’ve managed to consistently tell a bed-time story on request for periods of well over a week in the past – but this is a different kind of creativity, and the demands will be more consistent.  On the other hand, I should have quite a bit more insipration – just listening to Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 is usually enough to send me into a 30 minute rant (sorry Dad!).

So, here goes project Blog – the Angry Geek lives!