Tech fix: keyboard mapping with VMWare Fusion 2.0.5 and Logitech diNovo Mac edition

Placing this into the blog, since normal googling gave no solution on this one.

Problem: VMWare Fusion autodetects Logitech diNovo Mac edition (at least with European keyboard layout) as Macbook keyboard. Which makes it use the numeric pad Enter as AltGr.

This is how to make it use the right Cmd key as AltGr.

1. VMWare > Fusion > Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse
2. Remove the current 'cmd' shortcut (pointed to Windows key on mine) or reuse it
3. Don't try pressing the key, just leave the cmd emblem enabled and the key field empty
4. Map to Right Alt (AltGr)

That's it.

Actually, this should have been obvious, and I dare not think how much googling I tried in vain. What mislead me was the mapping of CMD without saying whether left or right should be mapped. Seems the "enable OS X CMD" setting overrides the left key (only) so I get what I want: left for OS X, right as Alt-Gr. Maybe VMWare should do the UI better, but I don't exactly know, how. For people with Apple keyboards I guess the thing "just works".

What cars should already be (core77 design site)

A friend of mine (a great designer, by the way!) showed me to this web site.

They have a nice studying article about what should happen to the cars in the next 40 years. Or -actually- what should have happened to them in the *last* 40 years.

I'll be a lazy jerk and just copy-paste some of the good parts (which are many):

It dawned on us: today's car industry is brainwashed by its own car culture, with its obsession for speed, styling and fantasy. The car business has become one of repackaging, steering people's focus towards style and a narrow definition of performance, not on our true needs.

the desire not to drive. Sure, everyone wanted to get from A to B, but they'd just rather be doing something else while en route: talking to friends, sleeping, or, as our French intern Laure suggested: "I want to enjoy the view with a nice wine, some cheese and a baguette."

Driving is like putting your life on hold.

we have subscribed to a false sense of freedom, the freedom to waste countless hours strapped behind the wheel.

Our conclusion? Humans are not meant to drive, nor should they have to.

...and so on...

Personally, I would love to have a car of their design. But I am realistic it will really take the 40 years - maybe 50 - to get there. Like the Moon is seen as a middle stop to getting us to Mars, I am seeing PRT as a middle stop to getting us to full automated traffic.

When peace came to my browser (no Flash!)

More and more sites have started to "take advantage" of flash ads nowadays. Most of this is just a nuisance, and the carbon footprint of such ads globally must be tremendous! They take CPU cycles even if on background browser windows, or unseen tabs.

I've been increasingly fed up with them, lately. Luckily there is a very nice solution for Safari: ClickToFlash . I took the version 1.5b4 and it seems to be working fine. My good old laptop (PowerBook G4) is now snappier and way cooler on the laps. I hope.

A side notion is that modern SVG + JavaScript can already do most of what Flash is used for, at least on some browsers. Maybe that will turn out to be a headache in the future. But for now the browsers is again at peace. :)