"Hacker" version of Google!

Google has a 'Google in your Language' feature, which allows you to search the Internet using any language. Google now provides their search engine in a language called 'Leet', which is a cipher created by hackers.

Slate Posts Amazon.com's Customer Service Number

I hate when companies hide customer service numbers from their own customers. I could tell about a few companies that forced me search for their customer service numbers, and I had to find them in a very round about way. So if you're looking Amazon.com customer service number, it is: 1-800-201-7575.

Ready for ZigBee?

Do you know what ZigBee is? A quote for the linked ExtremeEech says, "ZigBee is poised to become the leading wireless technology for a myriad of uses ranging from building automation to industrial and residential applications."

It looks like an interesting technology, lets see what happens...

Microsoft Makes 'Giant' Anti-Spyware Acquisition

EWeek reports, "Microsoft Corp. has bought into the anti-spyware business. Just two months after Chairman Bill Gates dropped a strong hint that Microsoft planned to do something about the spyware scourge, the Redmond, Wash., company announced the acquisition of Giant Company Software, a New York-based startup with a highly rated anti-spyware application."

Microsoft also recently bought an anti-virus software company.

MoleSter - The Smallest File-Sharing Application

Matthew Skala created 'MoleSter', the smallest P2P file-sharing application composed of only 9 lines of Perl code. The competition began when Dr. Edward Felten posted a P2P program that was written with Python that was 15 lines.

Personal note: I don't promote the use of trading copyright material over any medium, but I will promote innovation.

Intel's Execute Disable Bit and Windows XP Service Pack 2

Intel provides the following Flash demo that talks about the Execute Disable Bit (NX) in their Pentium processors. This demo is all market propaganda, but if you don't understand the propaganda technology it might help explain the it for you.

I generally don't like to post links like this, but I thought the demo was pretty good.

Ecobot Eats Dead Flies for Fuel

Wired News reports: "Researchers at the University of the West of England, Bristol, are working on creating autonomous robots that power themselves using substances found in the environment. Professors Chris Melhuish and John Greenman plan to give robots their very own guts -- artificial digestive systems and the corresponding metabolisms that will allow robots to digest food."

This is an interesting article about robots with a digestion system.

Taking Advantage Of Technology

I just found this site today, its called 'I-Hacked.com'. This site is not about computer hacking, it is about consumer hardware hacking. Below is the site description from the home page:

"Electronics are everywhere, and technology drives pretty much everything we do in today's world. We show you how to take advantage of these electronics to make them faster, give them added features, or to do things they were never intended to do.

We are not a 'cracking' site, we are hackers. Our inquisitive nature leads us to find ways of making technology work for us. We do not support unauthorized access into systems, breaking into email systems, or anything of that nature. Please do not email me asking me how to do this type of stuff.

Please enjoy your stay, check out the articles, and submit some of your own. As a community we can share our tips/tricks/and hacks with each other. The I-Hacked.com's 'Most Wanted' are articles that we are currently looking for articles to be written about."

Blockbuster plans to end late fees in 2005

Associated Press reports, "Blockbuster Inc., the nation's biggest movie rental company, plans to eliminate late fees on games and movies as of Jan. 1."

Now if Blockbuster can do something about their high prices...

The 48 Hour Film Project - 2004

I learned about the 'The 48 Hour Film Project' last year on TechTV. It looks like something that would be fun to do if you have few creative friends, some digital film/editing equipment, and 48 hours.

If you don't know about the 'The 48 Hour Film Project', this is a brief description of what it is from their site: "The 48 Hour Film Project-an international film making competition where teams have just two days to make a short film from scratch-is back and bigger than ever."

Xandros Desktop OS 3 Deluxe Edition (Review)

ExtremeTech reports: "We frequently get the same question from our readers in the ExtremeTech forum: I want to get rid of Windows, so which Linux distribution should I try? Now we have a definite answer: Get Xandros. With the release of version 3, the Xandros folks have finally come up with a full-blown replacement for Windows on the desktop. New stuff in this release includes a VPN wizard, a firewall wizard, encrypted home folders, DVD burning, and a number of other goodies. "

Google to Scan Books From Big Libraries

eWeek reports: "Google Inc. is trying to establish an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its widely used Internet search engine."

Visual Studio: Order Your Free Partner Product DVD

I don't know if this will be of interest to anyone, but you can get a free DVD from Microsoft filled with Visual Studio evaluation products.

Here is an excerpt from Microsoft's site "Order this free DVD and receive over 65 tools, components and languages from Visual Studio Industry Partners. These full version and evaluation products can help save you time and money building applications for Microsoft Windows, mobile devices, the Web, and Web services."

Computer Advertising Terms Defined (Humor)

Have you ever read those marketing terms in technogoly advertisements and wondered what they actually meant. When this list reveals the truth about what these terms really mean:

• NEW: Different color from previous design.
• ALL NEW: Parts are not interchangeable with previous design.
• EXCLUSIVE: Imported product.
• UNMATCHED: Almost as good as the competition.
• FOOLPROOF OPERATION: No provision for adjustments.
• ADVANCED DESIGN: The advertising agency doesn't understand it.
• IT'S HERE AT LAST: Rush job. Nobody knew it was coming.
• FIELD TESTED: Manufacturer lacks test equipment.
• HIGH ACCURACY: Unit on which all parts fit.
• FUTURISTIC: No other reason why it looks the way it does.
• REDESIGNED: Previous flaws fixed: we hope.
• DIRECT SALES ONLY: Factory had a big argument with distributor.
• YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT: We finally got one to work.
• BREAKTHROUGH: We finally figured out a use for it.
• MAINTENANCE FREE: Impossible to fix.
• MEETS ALL STANDARDS: Ours, not yours.
• SOLID-STATE: Heavy as anything!
• HIGH RELIABILITY: We made it work long enough to ship it.

HP Digital Entertainment Center z545 (Review)

PC Magazine reviews: "The HP Digital Entertainment Center z545 provides everything you'd want in a Media Center PC for the living room. One box replaces the DVD player, CD changer, FM tuner, and DVR. Finally: a PC your significant other won't toss out of the living room! Just don't misplace the remote. "

This is probably the best media center PC I have seen to date. The only things it is lacking for me so far is satellite or digital cable and HDTV support.

Declaration of Annexation of The United Kingdom as Part of the USA

This a very funny web post about the "Declaration of Annexation of The United Kingdom as Part of the USA", which is really a counter response to another web post called "Home Office (London, UK) to the People of America".

Operation Codename Generator (Humor)

The Network Computing site offers a special service on their site called the "Operation Codename Generator". It kind of an interesting application, and you might want to check it out.

This is a description this application from Network Computing's web site: "You've heard all those great military code names for various missions, names like Enduring Freedom, Operation Desert Storm, Golden Pheasant. Well now you can use our interactive Codename Generator for your own IT operations. Don't settle for boring names like 'Verity Upgrade.' Try 'Infinite Justice' on for size and impress your coworkers with a name more fitting to your herculean task. "

Longhorn Supports IPv6 By Default

Microsoft’s new Longhorn OS will have IPv6 and IPv4 enabled by default. Also if users want they can turn IPv4, and run IPv6 only.

To read the story go to Government Computer News.

Windows 2003 Server SP1

A few days ago I reported that Microsoft has released Windows 2003 Server SP1 Release Cannidate 1. What I didn't tell you about was some of the new security enhancements that come as part of this service pack:

• A new Windows Firewall, that protects the server and works around client and server connecting to it on your network.
• Post-Setup Security Updates (PSSU) and Security Config Wizard (SCW), which lock down the computer to help prevent it being hacked.
• IE includes updates to prevent unintentional downloads of malicious code.
• A new HotPatching feature allows you to apply updates to drivers, APIs or any non-kernel level component to the system without rebooting.
• Stronger defaults and privilege reduction on services such as RPC and DCOM;
• Support for Intel and AMD processors that have the NX (Non-eXecute) instruction to prevents malicious code attacks that try to use stack overflows.

For a technical overview, see the following web page.

Put Your Cell Phone On 'The Do Not Call List'

In a few weeks, cell phone numbers are going to be released to telemarketing companies and you could start to receive sales calls.

If you don't have your cell phone number on the National 'Do Not Call List', I would suggest that you do it now! If you don't know about this site, this list will tells telemarketers not to call phone numbers you register for 5 years.

You have been warned...

New Google Suggest

Try out Google's new Suggest feature. The way it works is, as you type Google will offer suggestions. Then you can use the arrow keys to navigate the results.

Intel updates 2005 CPU plans

Ars Technica Reports: "...Intel has done an about-face and now plans to release 64-bit desktop CPUs beginning in 2005. The change in plans was triggered by the success rival chipmaker AMD has seen with its Athlon 64 line, along with the arrival of Windows XP 64-bit Professional x64 Edition (that's a mouthful) during the first half of 2005..."

More PI, Please

Want to see PI to its 4,400 place. If that's not enough PI, then there is a link that points to zip file you can download that contains another file displays PI to its 10 million digit.

Free Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 E-Learning

Microsoft is offering free E-Learning Clinics on Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). These clinics provide the technical information and training you need for:

• Deploying and Administering Windows XP SP2
• Developing and Maintaining Applications on Windows XP SP2

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Release Candidate

Microsoft announced the immediate availability of the release candidate of
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). SP1 is a security-oriented update, similar to some of the security updates Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.

This is a 'release candidate' which means that Microsoft believe it is almost ready for release, but it is suitable for testing purposes. Make sure to read the release notes for all the latest news, update, work arounds, etc.

The final version of the service pack is expected to be released in the first half of 2005. See the Windows Server Product Roadmap, for the most up-to-date product release information.

Dual Standard HD-DVD Disks

Toshiba and Memory-Tech claimed to have developed a new dual-layer DVD disk that can be use regular DVD disk, or as a new High-Definition (HD) DVD disk (which can store 15 GB of data). This allows the disks to be played in the current generation of DVD players, as well as the next generation HD-DVD players.

Floating Screen

PC Magazine reports: "Mitsubishi has announced plans to introduce the Scopo next year. This headset with an eye-sized, eye-level LCD creates the illusion that a 10-inch display is in front of the viewer. The display is not positioned directly on the user's face, so external surroundings remain visible."

This is a cool concept, I will be excited to see all the applications.

Mozilla Releases Thunderbird 1.0

Mozilla’s released Thunderbird 1.0 email client today. So, if you’re still using Outlook or Outlook Express, you should consider upgrading to Thunderbird. Thunderbird has some great features, like SPAM filtering, and an integrated RSS reader.

The best news is that it is all free.

Cybersecurity for the Homeland report

Kevin Rose from The ScreenSavers on G4TechTV has posted a copy of the US Congress's “Cybersecurity for the Homeland” report on his web site The Broken. This report is set to be released on Monday, so here is your chance to see it before it is release.

This report is in a PDF format and it is 41 pages long. The image quality of the document is pretty mediocre but very readable, you call tell that all the pages were scanned form a paper document.

Sign Up to Try Windows Update Services

Test Windows Update Services (WUS), the next version of the update management solution currently known as Software Update Services (SUS).

Internet2 Speed Record: Four Times As Fast

Extremetech Reports: "A sustained transfer of 101 gigabits per second between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles over Internet2. That's the speed hit by an international team lead by Caltech last week, the second year in a row the 'High Energy Physics' team has won the Supercomputer Bandwidth Challenge."

Gift Idea - TV Watch

For the geek that likes to watch a lot of T.V., check out this product. It a fully functional watch, with a 1.5-inch TFT LCD monitor. It includes Sony PLL synthesized micro TV tuner, and
allows you to view channels: VHF 1-12, UHF 13-62.

Weather Data for the Masses

Wired News reports: "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week began providing weather data in an open-access XML format, alleviating concerns that commercial providers would continue to play a dominant role in how weather data gets to the public. "

This is good news if your an amateur meteorologist...

Unprotected PCs can be hijacked in minutes

USATODAY.com reports: "Simply connecting to the Internet - and doing nothing else - exposes your PC to non-stop, automated break-in attempts by intruders looking to take control of your machine surreptitiously."

Go to the site for the rest of the story...

Remember:
- Install a firewall
- Patch your system and applications
- Use an current antivirus software, with up-to-date definitions

Hate annoying Flash ads, try FlashBang...

"FlashBang is a very simple application. Upon installation it adds an icon to your standard toolbar in Internet Explorer." Check out the site for more information.

Free online credit reports begin Wednesday

CNET News.com reports: "Consumers in 13 Western states will be able to grab free online copies of their credit reports starting Wednesday, as a new federal law is phased in."

Prevent Identy Thief and check your credit report.

Sun's IE Java Plug-In Could Bug You (Security)

PC Magazine reports: "The Java Plug-In is software from Sun Microsystems that ties the Java Virtual Machine to web browsers. It includes a facility for allowing Javascript in web pages to make calls in to the Java VM. Flaws in this interface allow an attacker to execute Java code outside of the protective Java sandbox, which normally prevents Java programs from misbehaving. "

Go to their site to get all the details and the work around.

Lycos Offers Windows Screensaver Which Allows You to DDOS Spammers

Lockergnome .com reports: "Lycos Europe is offering a controversial new screen saver to Windows users (and Mac, as well). Marketing it under the 'Make Love, Not Spam' banner, the screensaver is designed to send requests to view a known spam source's website. The idea is that when a large number of users are all running the screensaver,that during those user's downtime (i.e. when the screensaver is active), it will effectively clog the spam server's resources."

Woot!

An interesting new e-commerce concept, its called 'Woot!' They will post a product on their site for 24 hour exactly, at what seems to be pretty good prices. Check it out for yourself.

Now, the question is it real, or a scam... Remember: Buyer beware, I don't know anything about this company.

Free 411 via SMS

If you hate to calling 411 because it cost you $1.25 per call, you now have a free alternative. You can now lookup a phone number and address for free using your cell phone and SMS (Short Message Service). All you have to do is send a query via SMS, and you will receive a text reply with the information requested.

Google SMS offers the most extensive SMS 411 service, it provides phone numbers and addresses. All you have to do is send a query like 'gas 34562' to '46645' (which 'GOOGL' on most phones). Google SMS will reply with all the phone and address information for gas stations in that ZIP code.

There is also another service called Synfonic that offers for phone and address information, and much more. All you have to do is send an SMS query to 650-430-7183, and you'll receive a reply within a few seconds. For more information goto to Synfonic web site.

Anti-Spyware Test (Guide)

Most adware/spyware detection and removal tools today, are failing to detect and remove these parasites. These parasitic programs are growing in number, complexity, and sophisitication everyday.

Researcher Eric Howes a graduate student at the University of Illinois has recently issued failing grades on all anti-spyware scanners he tested during a two-week stretch in October. Eric Howes found that the best-performing anti-spyware scanner failed to detect about 25 percent of the "critical" files and registry entries installed by these malicious programs.

In my own unscientific test Last night, I scaned my wife's mother computer with PestScan.com (Pest Patrol owns the web site). It found 80 parasites, it first used Spybot Search and Destroy which found some ad tracking cookies. Then I used the freeware version of Adaware, and it found some more cookies and some parasites. Then I reran PestScan.com, and I still found problems.

Piece of PI (Humor)

Check out this URL http://3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592.jp/. if you have not noticed it's Pi. If you load the web page it will display an infinite page full of numbers.

RFC 3514 - The Security Flag in the IPv4 Header (Humor)

RFC 3514 - Talks about the 'Security Flag' in the IPv4 Header, known as the 'evil bit'. This RFC is very funny if you understand the TCP/IP protocol, it really is an April Fools joke posted in April of 2003. Save this for next April 1st, and give it to your company's Network administrator, and see if they fall for it.

GPL 3 to Take on IP, Patents

EWeek reports "With a relatively hostile environment that has pitted proprietary software against open source as a backdrop, the Free Software Foundation, the steward of the GNU General Public License, is working on the first revamp to the license in 13 years."

America Supports You

The Defense Department has launched a new web site called 'America Supports You', it allows Americans to express their support for the men and women of the armed forces.

Microsoft Windows Update Services Evaluation

Microsoft has create a website for people to evaluate the new Windows Update Services (WUS). You have to complete the registration process to receive the files needed to install the product. The download is approximately 78.4 MB in size.

Note: WUS requires Background Intelligent Transfer Services (BITS) 2.0 beta to be installed. BITS enables the download of updates in the background using available network bandwidth.

CNN.com - Gates world's most spammed person

CNN.com reports that Bill Gates is the world's most spammed person. He receives 4 million emails per day, most of it spam.

Internet Porn: Worse than Crack?

Wired News reports: "Internet pornography is the new crack cocaine, leading to addiction, misogyny, pedophilia, boob jobs and erectile dysfunction, according to clinicians and researchers testifying before a Senate committee Thursday."

Wi-Fi Antenna

If you have a Wi-Fi network (802.11a/b/g), then you need to understand the importance of your Wireless Access Point's (WAP) antenna. The better your antenna, the better the transmissions signal will be for sending and receiving data.

Like most people you're probably using the standard antennas that came with your WAP. These antennas provide you with a few hundred feet of signal transmission strength, as long as it is not impeded by walls or other type of interference (such as microwaves, other Wi-Fi networks, etc..). By using a better antenna, the farther your signal will go and the better it will be received.

The needs of your Wi-Fi network, will determine the type of antenna you need. For example, there are several different types of antennas, like: unidirectional, omnidirectional, etc.. Each type of antenna, does something different, the omnidirectional antenna send the signal out in all directions, and unidirectional only sends the signal in one direction.

Wi-Fi Antenna Resources:

• FreeAntennas.com - DYI antenna resources
• Metrix Communication LLC - 802.11 wireless networking gear
• Building a Wi-Fi Antenna Out of a Tin Can
• Wi-Fi Antenna made from a Diskette

Google Scholar

Google Scholar allow you to search scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web.

Scratch Resistant DVD

CNET News.com reports: "Researchers at electronics giant TDK have developed a tough new coating that promises to make scratched DVDs a thing of the past"

Ontrack Data Recovery Announces 2004 Top 10 List Of Data Disasters (Humor)

"Ontrack Data Recovery has unveiled its annual Top Ten list of the strangest and funniest computer mishaps."

IBM Creates Grid to Unraveling Disease

I.B.M. plans to create Grid project that harness unused computing power from millions of personal computers on the Internet to help unlock the genetic mysteries of illnesses like AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, malaria and cancer. The project, called the World Community Grid, was developed in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, the United Nations and other organizations. The goal is to combine computer resources and the shared knowledge of researchers to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery.

WereNotSorry.com

Some U.S. voters did not agree with the results of the last election. So one individual took it upon himself to setup a website to apologize to the world. The web site is known as 'Sorryeverybody.com', and was launched the day after the election. The site features a picture of, James Zetlen (the site's creator), holding a 'Sorry World' sign. This web site has gotten million of hits, and has received hundred of images from people around the world.

In response, President Bush supporters have launched other websites, like Werenotsorry.net.

New Version of Acrobat, and Yahoo Doubles its Free Storage

Wired reports: "Adobe has upgraded its flagship desktop publishing products, giving powerful new features to not only the authors of electronic documents but also their recipients."

Wired reports: "Yahoo is more than doubling its limits on free e-mail storage in its latest move to combat two of its biggest rivals, Google and Microsoft. E-mail accountholders will get up to 250 MB of free storage, up from 100 MB previously offered by Yahoo (YHOO)."

Wired News: Sun to Roll Out Free Solaris OS

Wired reports "After investing roughly $500 million and spending years of development time on its next-generation operating system, Sun Microsystems on Monday will announce an aggressive price for the software -- free."

Trial Shows How Spammers Operate

Excerpt from EWeek article: "As one of the world's most prolific spammers, Jeremy Jaynes pumped out at least 10 million e-mails a day with the help of 16 high-speed lines, the kind of Internet capacity a 1,000-employee company would need."

Check Your Phishing IQ? (v2.0)

Due to the popularity of their first their Phishing IQ Test, MailFrontier has released version 2.0. This test will show you how much you know and don't know about phishing scam, and how to spot them.

There are 10 new phishing scams that have been added to the test, and all them were actually received by real people. When you're finished taking the test you will be taken to a page where you can download a white paper, entitled 'Ten Tips for Finding a Fish.' You will also be offered a trial version of their MailFrontier Desktop and MailFrontier Gateway.

Is Encryption Doomed?

Technology Review reports: "Our entire information society rests on a fragile foundation that mathematicians are racing to dismantle."

Article: Spacecrafts powered by thunder

NewScientist.com news service reports: "Thunderous sound waves could one day propel spacecraft to the edge of the solar system, say engineers who have developed a new type of acoustic engine."

Favorite Quote from the Internet

"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the crotch of the RealPlayer developer who decided to stick icons in my system tray, Startup menu, and desktop, and may his arms be too short to scratch."
-Snarfed from Internet, author unknown.

MSN Search (Preview)

Microsoft has released a preview of their new MSN Search technology. Microsoft's is trying to challenge Google and Yahoo for the search engine king's crown. Which IMHO belongs to Google (side note: Google announced a few days ago that they have indexed 8 billion pages on the Internet).

New features in the preview are:
- Ways to adjust results by such measures as popularity and timeliness by moving sliding gauges on a secondary page.
- Ways fine-tune the results by limiting them to a local region.
- Answers to questions posed in natural language. For example, asking "What is the 10 times 2?". This feature is kind of cool, but it only can answer certain questions.

Free Virus Protection

If you're looking for free anti-virus software for your computer, below are some sites that offer this software:

- AVG Anti-Virus
- avast! 4 Home Edition

If you need scan or clean your system without downloading and installing a whole software application, check out these sites.

- BitDefender
- Trend Micro Housecall

OpenOffice.org 2.0 (Snapshot)

The OpenOffice.org (OOo) project has published a preview release of their OOo v2.0 application suite. For more information about the new feature, see the following article: OpenOffice.org 2.0 Office Suite - Guide to New Features.

Photo Story 3

Microsoft has released Photo Story 3 for Windows XP, the newest version of the digital photo slideshow application that was previously part of the Plus! Digital Media Edition add-on pack for Windows XP. The software is available free for download to anyone with a 'genuine copy' of Windows XP.

The application has a easy interface for turning your photos into animated videos, which can include music, voice-over narration, text, and visual effects. Some new functionality includes:

• Fundamental photo editing tools for color correction, red-eye retouching, and image rotating and cropping.
• You can create more nuanced effects such as rendering a photograph as a watercolor, as a negative, or in sepia tone.
• Templates that can be sent by e-mail to compatible devices that support these formats, such as Microsoft Portable Media Centers, Pocket PCs, and Windows-based Smartphones.
• And much more.

Check out the Photo Story 3 web site for examples, details, and tips.

Note: This software requires Windows XP, DirectX 9.0c, and Windows Media Player 10 to be able to use it.

Gigaset M34 USB

Siemens Information and Communication Mobile (AKA Siemens Mobile) has released a new device called Gigaset M34 USB adapter, it provides internet telephony (VoIP) and messaging (such as: instant messaging, emails, etc.) solutions for cordless phone device. This device was developed in partnership with Skype, and their SkypeOut service.

The way the Gigaset M34 USB adapter works is that it plugs in your computer USB port, then plugs in your cordless phone. When you make long distance or international calls it uses the SkypeOut service to perform VoIP communications. The device also offer an open interface to enable third party developers to integrate their phones and applications into the device.

The Gigaset M34 USB adapter is suppose to be available in Europe as of September
2004. More information about the Gigaset is available on Siemens web site.

FlightTracker

FlightTracker is one of these really cool Internet resources, IMHO. It allows you to graphically track almost any flight in the air. Be forewarned the site appears to be busy, so it might not always be available.

To see how it works, press the 'Track Flight' button under the section 'Track a Sample Flight' towards the top.

The 1-Box, with 10-1 Computing

Since modern computers sit mostly idle even when you're using them. A company called Userful has released a computer called '1-Box' that allows one PC to support up to ten workstations. Each user only requires a standard monitor, USB keyboard and mouse.

Review: Ten Extensions Enhance FireFox

It seems like everyone is talking about FireFox the stripped down browser from Mozilla.org. Since Firefox is designed a minimalist's browser, this article provides a brief introduction to some the extensions that are available for it. An extension is simply an add-on that extends the browser functionality.

Internet Video Links

I might have posted some of these videos before, but if you have none seen them then you may want to watch them. All of these movies are Windows Media Player format, and some of them contain semi-adult content (ie: language, but no nudity).

• Home-made spoof on Mac Advertisements.
• A souped up Suzuki going almost 200mph.
• The Lotus Exige being chased by a chopper.
• A fighter jet crashes into concrete wall.
• A spoof on Lord of the Rings played at the Oscars.

New PS2 for the Holidays

Sony recently repackaged its older PlayStation 2 (PS/2) into a new smaller form factor. The newer system is now about the size of hardcover book. In fact, the older system now looks huge next to its newer sibling.

The new PS/2 system is slated to go on sale in November. The new system is designed to be more portable, and is now about half the weight of the orginal system.

There is rumor that the PS/3 (if that is what they call it), might come out at next year's E3 show in May. It is suppose to support the new Blu-Ray discs (which have 54GB of storage).

Hacking: Fight Back - How A Criminal Might Infiltrate Your Network

This article does not show you how to hack into someone system, but it show how attackers can take advantage of your mistakes to break into your system. This article also shows you how to avoid the common pitfalls that attackers can exploit.

Brief quote from article: "One of the great mysteries in security management is the modus operandi of criminal hackers. If you don't know how they can attack you, how can you protect yourself from them?"

Damn Small Linux

Check out Damn Small Linux, it is a great Linux distribution for USB flash drives and older computers. It doesn't require a lot of RAM or storage space. It can be run USB flash drive, CD, or off the hard drive.

Below is a quote from the site about the applications it includes:

Damn Small Linux has a nearly complete desktop, including XMMS (MP3, and MPEG), FTP client, Dillo web browser, links-hacked web browser, spreadsheet, Sylpheed email, spellcheck (US English), a word-processor (Ted-GTK), four editors (SciTe, nVi, Zile [emacs clone], and Nano [Pico clone]), graphics editing and viewing (Xpaint, and xzgv), Xpdf, emelFM (file manager), Naim (AIM, ICQ, IRC), VNCviwer, Rdesktop, SSH/SCP server and client, DHCP client, PPP, PPPoE (ADSL), a web server, calculator, generic and GhostScript printer support, NFS, Fluxbox window manager, games, system monitoring apps, a host of command line tools, USB support, and pcmcia support, some wireless support. For more information check out the applications pages.

Microsoft Security Bulletin Advanced Notification Program

Microsoft announced that they will soon be making their 'Early Notification Program' opened to everyone. This program used to be only available to certain Microsoft customers, but now they're opening it to everyone. The formal name of this program will be 'Microsoft Security Bulletin Advanced Notification Program'.

The program will start in November, and consist of a public web page and an email notification list. Each email notifications will include a brief amount of information about each of the upcoming security bulletins three business days before the regular monthly release date. No specific information about the vulnerabilities will be released in this notification. The notification will include information about number of security bulletins being released, their expected severity rating, and a list of affected products.

Mounting ISO Images as Virtual CD-ROM Drive

Have you ever wanted to be able to mount a ISO image on the desktop so you didn't have to burn it to a CD. Other time, you may need to access the files in an ISO image, and you don't want to waste a CD to do it.

Check out these utilities, they allow you to mount ISO image or burn them to CDs if you like:

• Microsoft's 'Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel for Windows XP'. (Notes: This software is unsupported by Microsoft, and contains no setup file. The interface is very basic, so don't expect a polished tool. Make sure to read the README.TXT)
• ISO Recorder PowerToy
• Daemon Tools

Learning HTML and CSS

Have you wanted to learn HTML and CSS. There are several web sites out there that offer help.

The sites listed below are a great places to start:

• WESTCIV Downloadable Courses
• css.maxdesign.com.au
• Web Design Group
• W3Schools
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Digital Negative (DNG)

Adobe has released its Digital Negative (DNG) software, that converts digital camera Raw file formats that are generally proprietary
into a common format that can be read by Adobe products, and any other product that supports the format. The DNG software is free for you to download, and supports 60+ digital raw file formats.

Epson Fabricated World's First Ultra-Thin Multilayer Circuit Board With Inkjet Technology

Epson has created world's first ultra-thin multilayer circuit board using inkjet technology. The board was 20 layers thick, and was created with conductive and non-conductive inks.

Interesting Web Sites

Here are some interesting links that I have not posted yet:

• Listen to live Air Traffic Controller audio feed over the Internet. This is for those unique individuals that enjoy this stuff.
• Check out Maukie the Cat, it cute but useless.
• For those followers of the Darwin award check out the nominees.
• Greasecar vegetable Fuel Systems allow mechanically injected diesel vehicles to run on straight, filtered vegetable oil.

Kanguru Zipper HD 2.2GB review by PC Magazine

Check out the Kanguru Zipper HD 2.2GB USB drive, unlike most USB drives Kanguru uses a real 2.2GB hard disk. The device measures 2 by 2.4 by 0.6 inches, and weighs about 1.4 ounces. It's just as easy to carry as a flash-memory USB drive, but has more capacity and at lower price.

The Robots are Coming, The Robots are Coming...

One of my hobbies is to monitor the pulse of what is going on with technology. The latest trend that I have been seeing is a real revolution in robots for home, and for the hobbyist. Robotic devices and kits have been around for years, but I have been seeing trend where more and more articles have been appearing about new robotic devices and kits that now are available.

For example:

• iRobot readies for war--and the household
• Robots Compete for Your Interest

I really think that we are going to entering into Robotics revolution similar to the home PC revolution of the 70's and 80's. Robotics clubs and hobbyist have existed for several decades, but I believe we are going start number of these clubs and hobbyist shoot through the roof.

I believe eventually, this robotic revolution will start to make robots more and more main stream. Pretty soon you won't be able go into a house that doesn't have some type of robotic device doing something, such as vacuuming, cleaning, etc...

Khiba's PSP Tutorial

If use Paint Shop Pro (PSP), check out Khiba's PSP Tutorial. It is one of the best PSP tutorials that I have seen. These tutorials are interactive, so you're not just reading a lot of instructions on what to do you can actually see how to do it.

TechNet Virtual Lab

Microsoft's TechNet Virtual Lab, allows you to check out the company's latest software in a sandbox environment.

The site offers virtual servers for:
- Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2003
- Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) 2003
- Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003
- Microsoft Security Virtual Lab

The great news is that software in this lab is free to download, and it doesn't require you to format your hard drive to install or test it.

UWB Takes On 802.11n in the Wireless Fast Lane

This is an interest article about the current state of two types of wireless network technologies called UWB (UltraWideBand) and 802.11n. Both of these prestandard technologies, meaning that manufactures developed new products before the standard body finalize the technology specification.

Google Working to Recruit Brainy Elite

To work for the best and brightest companies you have to be very smart. Google has employed some interesting hiring practices, to attract the best and the brightest minds.

Hackers use Google to access photocopiers - ZDNet UK News

Hackers are using Google to access photocopiers. Photocopiers are the latest network devices to fall victum to hackers armed with nothing more than Google's search engine.

SanDisk doubles memory card capacities

SanDisk is introducing a 4GB Stick Pro card is priced at $799.99, and 2GB SD cards for $199.99. The new cards should ship next month.

Pluck the RSS Reader and More.

I came across a new program called 'Pluck' today, and I though I would share it with everyone. Pluck is a newsreader that integrates itself into the Internet Explorer browser. This is a great feature for those people who want to read newsfeeds inside their default browser.

Pluck is not just an RSS reader, it also offers additional features such as the ability to manage bookmarks across multiple computers, share Web pages and notes with friends, and sort and filter Amazon, eBay, and Google queries.

Before I will recommend any program I find on the Net, I like it make sure that it doesn't contain adware or spyware (see this page for more information). I would say check it out.

Cops track emergency call to malfunctioning TV

Earlier this month, a college student Chris van Rossman's year-old 20-inch flat-screen TV started broadcasting over the 121.5MHz frequency, the channel used for distress signals. Such signals are used by search and rescue workers to find airplanes that have crashed or boats that are missing at sea. Rossman's TV was picked up by search and rescue satellites and emergency crews were alerted.

GMail Drive

Use GMail Drive to turn your Google GMail account into a 1GB of online storage. This Shell Namespace Extension creates a virtual filesystem around your GMail account, allowing you to use GMail as a storage medium. You can save and retrieve files stored in your GMail account directly from inside Windows Explorer.

The GMail Drive application literally adds a new drive to your computer under the My Computer folder, where you can create new folders, copy and drag’n’drop files. The only downside is that it’s limited to 10MB per file (the GMail attachement limit).

2,000 pound bomb video

Ever wonder what it would be like to have a 2,000 pound laser guided bomb blow up in your backyard (see the hole that was left).

Ghost in Car Commercial

This is a car commercial, that when the crew finished shooting it noticed a ghostly white mist moving along the side of the car. The ad was never shown on TV because the unexplained ghostly phenomenon scared the the production crew so badly.

Make sure your sound on, so that you can hear the crackling noise when the mist appears. When watch the ad about halfway look and you will see the white mist crossing in front of the car then following it along the road.

Slayer 2.6 has Recently Been Released

Slayer 2.6 is one of the easiest way to setup a newly modifed Xbox. Slayer is a bundle of software tools auto-installs itself on modded XBoxes, when executed.

Slayer comes with applications like:
- EvoX
- Xbox Media Player
- dvd2xbox
- boXplorer
- and more.

SwitchProxy

SwitchProxy is a free FireFox extension that allows you to quckly switch between different anonymous proxy servers. Anonymous proxy servers allow you to mask your true IP address, giving you an added layer on anonymity.

Free Tech and Programming Books

Here is a great resource for find free technology and computer science books. Topics include: Linux, Java, Microsoft, C/C++, Perl and Python, Science and Engineering, Networking, Security, and Databases.

PoE (Power over Ethernet) How To - NYCwireless

Looking for a way to add an addition access point, but no power outlet near by? Some guys at the NYC Wireless have figured out a way to run 12v power over the unused wires in a standard Ethernet cable.

TV-B-Gone

'TV-B-Gone' is a key-chain fob that looks like an automobile remote, but it is really a kind of universal remote that can turn off almost any TV. When the device is activated, it spends 209 different codes to turn off televisions, the most popular brands are transmitted first. When you activate the device, it can take over a minute for it to tranmit all of the codes to turn of the device.

Wired News: Plasma Beam Eyed in Space Travel

Imagine spaceships being catapulted and caught in space using high-energy plasma beams.

Reseller Selling Standalone Windows Media Center Software

One Microsoft reseller is selling standalone OEM versions of the new Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 software. Directron.com Inc. is exploiting a loophole in Microsoft's contracts to sell this software.

Intel kills plans for 4GHz Pentium.com

CNET News.com, reported that Intel killed it plans for 4GHz Pentium, it will make faster CPU through other technical means. It will start using large caches and dual-cores to increase the speed of its processors.