Imagine my surprise when it arrives and I see this:

Seriously?
Was it necessary to emboss a relatively huge chromed “REFURB” on the back?

Several people I have shown the unit to actually thought “REFURB” was the model name.

If anything should be embossed and chromed, shouldn’t it be the Sandisk logo for advertisement purposes?

Either way, the unit works flawlessly, and was a good bargin, so I guess I am the proud new owner of a limited edition “Sandisk Sansa REFURB”.

Download Here

Changes in SP2

Download Here

I am not dead, simply very busy as of late.

Microsoft has officially released the first version XNA Game Studio Express.
They have also setup a XNA Creators club which will set you back $50 for a 4 month subscription or $100 a year.

Grab it here: XNA Game Studio Express

Microsoft has released XNA Game Studio Express Beta to the public. Although you cannot yet create retail XBox 360 games with this Beta, developers can begin working with XNA Game Studio Express before the final release this holiday.

This package will allow developers to create games for Windows XP, Vista, and the Xbox360.

Grab it here.

It will be released with Half-Life 2: Episonde 2 along with a new Valve game: Portal.

This will certainly be a good deal for fans of Valve Software.

Valve has decided to use a cartoonish, cell shading technology for the graphics of Team Fortress 2, which I personally think looks awesome!

Portal, as the name suggests showcases Portal Technology similar to that used in 3dRealm’s Prey.

I loved Team Fortress Classic and can’t wait for Team Fortress 2.

Team Fortress 2:

Portal:

View the trailer of Team Fortress 2

View the trailer of Portal

Microsoft has officially released Virtual PC 2004 SP1 to the public, FOR FREE!

This is an excellent tool to test new Operating Systems or beta software that may bork your box.
Anything that occurs in the Virtual PC will remain only in the Virtual PC and not cause harm to your main Operating System. Also, you can actually choose not to save the changes to the image, and return the system to the state it was in at the start of your session. It really is an excellent testing tool. I often use Virtual PC or VMWare for development using beta software.

I am really happy Microsoft has decided to offer this product for free.
Virtualization really is an excellent technology, and should take away the fears many users have about beta testing Windows Vista, Office2007, or other beta software and operating systems.

I might also recommend allowing guests to surf the web in a VirtualPC. If you have friends who frequently download and install spyware loaded applications on your machine, this will save you hours trying to undo their damage. Your box will thank you for it

Download Virtual PC 2004 SP1.

Wish you could find a way to express your frustration to the developer?

Microsoft has heard your call and has implemented a new feature they call WE-SYP:

If you do not see the video above, you may view video here.

Dave’s AV Screensaver 1.3.0 has been released!

Changes in v1.3.0:
-New Randomize option for playlist (Requested by a user)
-Cleaned up/Improved source code
-Other minor bug fixes and optimizations

Grab the Dave’s AV Screensaver v1.3.0 and Source Code here.