So, Skype have released a new version. Version 2.0.0.69 was released on 5th January 2006, and it sucks. The new user interface just pisses me off.

Why the hell have they mixed Skype and SkypeOut users without the option to seperate them. They’ve got groups now but the way it’s implemented feels clunky and awkward. The new version now also forces a contact to be selected in the contact list at all times. Completely unnecessary.

But the thing which really pisses me off is removing the quick filter from the history. Before, I could click on my history, and using one of the icons or dropdown, quickly see entries by missed call, SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Voicemail, or activity from a specific number.

Googling around found the Skype Change Log which lists filtering in the contact list and history as a feature? Am I missing something? Where is the feature that was there before! It also says this can be enabled from options – advanced. I couldn’t get this to work despite rebooting, restarting Skype, etc.

Oh, and the new sounds. They sound like a cat being strangled. Overall, the new version is lame. Wish I just stuck with the old version, 1.4, which worked fine. Version 2.0 is just painful to use. If you’re not using it, don’t waste your time upgrading (unless you really, really want the video features).

Update: after some fiddling around, I finally found the new location of the history filter. It’s been moved to the bottom left of the screen, as shown in the screenshot below.

I’ve had my iPod for a year now, and admittedly, playing loud techno music while cutting code is taking it’s toll on my ears. One of my belated new years resolutions is to take more care of my ears. We only get one pair, and I don’t want to break mine.

It’s not just me. The BBC reports that we’re a generation of people going deaf, not helped by the growth of the portable music player.

I wonder if there’s a market for high-end earphones, or perhaps a device which connects to earphones, which can tell you how high the volume is (and perhaps a little icon or something to show the damage it’s having on your ears).

I’ve been reading the Xooglers Blog since it started up recently, and it’s gripping reading. Fascinating to hear ex-Googler’s stories of how things were on the inside. These folks are bound to get a book deal. It sounds like the perfect kind of material!

…But a few didn’t. Some charges, for hundreds or thousands of dollars, were getting through. Either way it was bad. For the charges that weren’t getting through the biller was automatically shutting down the accounts, suspending all their ads, and sending out nasty emails telling people that their credit cards had been rejected.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the Google. I can’t wait to read The Google Story and The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture!

Never have liked Acrobat reader. It’s slow, clunky, bloated, and prompts me to install lots of other Adobe stuff I have absolutely no interest in whatsoever randomly when viewing PDF documents.

But, now I can put the pain of using it behind me, thanks to Omar Shahine (and Scott Hanselman).

Get Foxit. It’s just over 1mb to download, and consists of only one executable – no installation required.

Update: Unfortunately, I’ve found that some PDF documents cause Foxit to throw an error, but work fine in Acrobat Reader, so I’ve had to reinstall it, though it’s not my viewer of choice. Bummer. Would’ve been nice to be able to get rid of it altogether.

Update: Mark pointed out that deleting the contents of the plug_ins folder can drastically speed up Acrobat. I’ve done this and it does really make Acrobate lightning fast. Thanks for the tip!