Basically if you have a mac and want to use specific programs which aren’t supported by you need a work around, and the simplest way I’ve found to this is to run Parallels Desktop.  It costs a bit of money to buy but it’s worth it.  The current cost direct from Parallels themselves is £59.99 which is very reasonable considering it’s power.

What I do is use the bootcamped partition of XP I have already installed and I can run all the programs in Coherence Mode – This bassically allows you to launch the windows as if they were running under well… Windows.  I’m still in my 14 day trial and I love it so much I will be buying it as soon as the trial comes to an end.

Get parallels, run windows, enjoy… that’s how easy it is to use.

I’ve made the leap into Mac’s and got myself a MacBook and she’s a beast.  Super fast, long battery life, excellent graphics and seemingly well built.

I have become an Apple fanboy.

I’m not entirely sure if that is a good thing as yet, but I do love it already.  It took me a day or so to get fully used to OSX Snow Leopard, but once you start using it you realise how much more intuitive than Windows it really is.

The system just works.  I’m very impressed with the thought that has gone into making everything right, from the dock to file structure to ease with which you can connect to a wifi network.

I shall keep you posted over the next few months, but for now I’m in love.

This week we saw the release of Apple’s New toy, the iPad.  While most industry pundits are telling us it’s the newest thing to have, I have to question the purpose of it.  Apple has a long history since Jobs’ return to the company of producing new and exciting tech which has revolutionised a particular sector.

The iPod is a case in point on that one; it helped develop a revolution of digital downloads and in conjunction with iTunes it’s become the program of choice for millions of users.  Same goes for the iPhone, but do we really need a whole new market, based around Apple’s device.

I would argue that we don’t.

I like Apple products; they are swish in design and inherently easy to use, but and there is always a but with Apple they always lack a vital function – most evident with the iPhone and glaringly evident with the iPad.  The lack of Multiple, background processing is a huge oversight on Apple’s part.

Personally, I know that the iPad will be huge, despite it’s shortcomings – people just love Apple stuff, and they will love it no matter what it does, even if it is just an oversized iPod touch.

Hello again dear reader,

I have once again endeavoured to write a Christmas message not filled with hate and aggression but with joy and frivolity, but looking at my notes this certainly isn’t the case.  For me this has been an interesting year, both for this website and in my life.  I’ve started new ventures, met some great people through twitter, became even more obsessed with it and started to write more articles that are less angry, but still the purpose of this site remains the same.

For 2010, the plan is to expand the site more and also make sure that I continue with the pod-casting, I appreciate that they aren’t all that regular at the moment and I’m sorry that there won’t be a Christmas edition, I just simply don’t have the free time at the moment.  I’ve barely found time to post in the past few months. I will be making a change in this area.  I have plenty of ideas of what to write about in the next few months, so you can expect a post every week from now onwards!

Well this year has been a funny one, not much has happened per-say, I mean the world is still revolving and the sun still shines but nothing of merit has occurred, except maybe Rage Against the Machine getting to number one in the U.K for Christmas something which I am incredibly pleased about.  I dislike over produced pop-crap so much it make my blood boil.  I don’t think I could stand to listen to Joe McElderry for any longer than thirty seconds without wanting to extract my eyes with a blunt penguin (yes I imagine that would hurt a fair bit). I truly believe that RATM getting to number one is a triumph for music and proof that the Public are not as stupid as we think they are.  Of course, if you do like X-Factor you probably are a bit ‘Special’.

We shall see what 2010 brings, it’s going to be an interesting year.  So sit back, relax, have a drink on me and enjoy/endure the season of goodwill with just that.

Merry Christmas

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but fear of no entries has prevented it, but now I’m gonna give it a bash seeing as it’s Christmas!

All you need to do is answer the following question and you could win a fantabulous Rantastic T-Shirt!!!

On which date is Christmas celebrated?

Send you answer and your name to: mr.rant@therantastic.com and we’ll pick a winner on 21st december 2009!

Please put competition in the subject line.

For a copy of the terms and conditions please send me an email asking for them.

It’s that time of year again! December is upon and in just 24 days it will be Christmas and the year will be over again.  As you can see the Christmas theme for this year has been launched and minus a few tweaks it will be around until new years day.  I’m at that point now that I hate, I have lots of shopping to do and you, dear reader know how much I despise that past time.

I’ve already had a run-in with a shopper last week at Birmingham’s Glorious German Market, of course I was as ever minding my own business when some oath pushed in-front of me and stole my place in the bratwusrt queue, of course being the fattie that I am, my stomach took an instant disliking to this chap.  I could feel the churning starting, the vitriol beginning to rise in my throat, threatening act as a rudimentary weapon of mass destruction.  I took a step back out of pity for this man who was about to feel the force of my guts.

Thank god for him he didn’t feel it.  All was well.