I was customizing an installation of Opera and stumbled across an optional side-panel dictionary plug-in from ObjectGraph.com. Basically, they present an AJAX-powered web form that retrieves/displays dictionary queries for each character you type. Even over my crappy HughesNet satellite "broadband" connection the form is responsive enough to be useful. There's also an online Thesuarus.

 

ObjectGraph.com : Interactive Dictionary

Booting a clean install of Vista Ultimate, the first time you minimize Windows Media Player (WMP) 11 you're prompted to decide if you want WMP to display itself as either a standard taskbar task icon OR a taskbar-embedded mini-player. I elect the taskbar-embedded mini-player-on-minimize option and continue on. Later, I decide I prefer the standard taskbar icon-on-minimize display option because restoring the mini-player window requires a precise mouse action. But how to restore the standard behavior?

 

After drilling through all the WMP option menu dialog boxes I've come up with nothing. WMP prompts you but doesn't appear to expose the setting anywhere. As with most things Winows, the work-around is trivial if not a little counterintuitive. The WMP mini-player embedded in the taskbar is a so-called taskbar toolbar. Toggle mini-player vs. standard-taskbar-icon-on-minimize behavior as follows:

 

Sitting here half watching the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival on PBS Great Performances and suddenly - wow... Okay Jeff Beck (one of my personal favorites from way back) is jamming... But, who is this kid he's got up on stage on bass? Man, it's amazing to see so much tallent stuffed into someone so young... Absent credits for Beck's band, a little digging on the web revels that a young woman named Tal Wilkenfeld appeared with Beck for the Chicago 2007 Guitar Festival. I'm definitely going to buy her debut CD and dig through my jazz CD's (because I haven't listened to any of them for what seems like years).

 

Here are some links:

 

 

Tal Wilkenfeld (Wikipedia) .::. Tal Wilkenfeld (Official Site)

 

 Jeff Beck w/Tal Wilkenfeld "Big Block" @ Crossroads 2007 (YouTube video)