The Clinton Library Was Designed By a Redneck (Humor)

How you can tell that the Clinton Library was designed by a redneck.

Xbox2 Will Feature a Removable Hard Drive (Rumors)

GamesIndustry.biz reports: "Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console is set to feature a removable hard drive bay, according to online reports today, which will allow users to upgrade their entry-level systems to include mass storage capabilities."

Google @ the Movies (Article)

BetaNews reports: "Google has added yet another offering to its long list of custom Web searches: movie reviews. By including the 'movie:' operator within a search query, Google brings up organized reviews of a flick from across the Web. The new service even calculates a movie's combined rating out of five stars."

Star Wars - Episode III Spoiler Site (w/Pictures)

This site was last updated on 2/18/2005 with lots of new pictures.

Note: The site is pretty busy, and some of the pictures are not showing up properly.

U.N. to control use of Internet

"Leaders of a U.N. Internet panel yesterday said they hope to set up a global system where cyberspace would be under the control of the United Nations."

How to build an Apple I computer

A publication on how to build an Apple I replica computer is now available from publisher Syngress Publishing Inc.

Personal Note: I am a big computer history fan, so this is a subject near and dear to my heart.

Turbo SSL Certificate

GoDaddy.com has announced that it will issue Free 'Turbo SSL Certificates' to legitimate open source software projects -- at no cost. For more information see the Press release.

MAME Jump

Now for something completely different... If you grew up in the 80's, you'll love this.

Check out this 'Flovie'. Its music video, that combines Donkey Kong singing Van Halen's 'Jump', with video clips from Atari 2600 & 8-bit Nintendo (NES) games play in the background.

Rumour mill claims Longhorn has a real name

The Inquirer reports: "DO WE HAVE the new name of Longhorn revealed today? According to sources at Microsoft, we think we might. While Longhorn has been the much-mentioned codename for the next-generation Windows technology, a Microsoft mole came to us at the weekend with some news of high-level branding discussions that appear to have yielded a name for the new Windows. It could all just be the rankest of speculation, however."

Space Elevator: Momentum Building (Article)

Have you ever heard of a space elevator? If you have not is basically an elevator that goes from the ocean to a platform in space. It sounds simple, but it is a very complex, but it is a very machine.

If you want to learn more, Space.com has interesting article on the subject. Below is an excerpt: "Blue-sky thinkers like Edwards envision the space elevator as a revolutionary way of getting from Earth into space. The primary system is a ribbon attached at one end to Earth on a floating platform located in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The other end of the ribbon is in space, beyond geosynchronous orbit."

Microsoft Updates Media Player to Thwart Spyware Threat

Microsoft has released an update for its Windows Media Player (WMP) to protect users from a known threat of spyware infection. The update installs two components on the computers that adds more integrity checking to the WMP digital rights management system (DRM).

“Xbox 2 is an Amazing Innovation” – Steve Ballmer

Team Xbox reports "When you see the new Xbox, you're going to think it's un… -- well, let me say it politely -- unbelievable. Just unbelievable. The graphics, what it can do, the way things look, huge innovation."

This article is a little spare on information, but if you want to read everything you can on the Xbox 2. Here you go.

Microsoft to Put Patch Service to the Test

eWeek reports: "Microsoft Corp. Tuesday confirmed that it will release in March a beta version of what it is calling a unified software update service for consumers and small and midsize businesses."

The Windows Update Service (WUS) is the next generation of the Software Update Service (SUS). WUS is designed to system patch service for deploying Microsoft server patches in medium and large enterprises.

Internet Explorer 7.0 is coming

News Update: "Microsoft has committed to releasing Internet Explorer 7.0, but it will only be available only to Windows XP SP2 (Service Pack 2). There is no real word on what the feature set will be."

The wild success of Firefox has force Microsoft to change their minds about only releasing upgrade to IE when they release new versions of the OS. So, the browsers wars have now official escalated, may the best browser win.

Nuclear Bomb Blast Calculator

This program illustrates the range of destruction which would occur if a nuclear weapon were detonated in a U.S. city.

So what is string theory?

Do you understand String Theory, or do you want to know more about it. Check out the official String Theory web site.

Hacking Billy Mouth Bass in Linux (Project)

This project uses the power of Linux to add brains to the Big Mouth Billy Bass. The goal is to use any Linux device--desktop or embedded--to make the Big Mouth Billy Bass say or act any way you want!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie expected to be released on May 6, 2005. The official movie web site is up, with a teaser and some downloads.

More resources:
- Exclusive Pics: The Vogons of Hitchhiker's Guide
- Official Movie News

SnapStream Hydra PVR

SnapStream Media has taken Beyond TV's v3.5 versatility to a new level. First, they had Medusa, with a SIX tuner capability, now with the release of the PVR-500MCE dual tuner card. Hydra, now has the ability to record TEN shows using off-the-shelf PC parts at the same time.

3-D Dragon Optical Illusion

It's a 3-D optical illusion of a dragon, no matter how you look at its head turns to face you. The side includes a video and PDF.

Xbox 2 will release 'in late October, early November (Article)

MuchVideoGames.com reports: "It's been known in industry circles for months, but the news is now finally starting to leak. You'll be able to buy the next generation Xbox in both America and Europe in 2005."

I wonder who is going to be the first one out of the gate with their next generation video game console: Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo. Only time will tell.

Star Wars Video Parodies

I recently came across these Star Wars parodies. I have seen the Troops video in the past, but I never seen the 'Tie-Tanic'. Tie-Tanic is the movie I wish they created, it would have been more enjoyable for the guys.

Tie-Tanic: A hysterical Titanic/Star Wars cross. (3.5MB WMP)
Troops: hilarious take-off on Cops, using Storm Troopers. (30MB)

If this is not enough, there are several more available on the Internet.

Browser speed comparisons

This site does a great job of doing a browser speed comparisons. It is not just a Windows only, it includes Linux and Macintosh. It is also not just a comparison of the most popular browsers, such as Internet Explorer, and Firefox. The comparison includes, browsers that I have never heard of before. The results are suprising and detailed.

Below is an excerpt from the site: "There is a speed war on the web. Browsers compete on many fronts; security, standards support, features and speed. Most people are aware of which major browser fails on three of these, but one of them is still open for grabs. Speed."

What is Wrong With This Picture

Checkout out these bar stools.

Want a Gmail Account...

I have 50 Gmail accounts that I can give away, if you want one just email me. Use the "Send Comments" links in sidebar to email my request. I do reserve the right to choose whom I give these account to, and not give them to.

Quote Of The Day

"If God did not exist it would be necessary to invent Him."
-- Voltaire.

House approves electronic ID cards (Article)

CNET News.com reports: "The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Thursday a sweeping set of rules aimed at forcing states to issue all adults federally approved electronic ID cards, including driver's licenses."

Under the law, if your ID card doesn't comply, you won't be able to access to: airplanes, trains, national parks, federal courthouses and other areas controlled by the federal government. I have my opinions about this subject, but I will keep them to myself.

Although, I do have one question, where will this stop once it is created? This type of ID can create whole bunch of privacy and ID thief issues if not handled correctly. There is also a whole bunch of other problems it will create.

Microsoft Details New Longhorn Displays (Article)

eWeek reports: "When Microsoft delivers a beta version of Longhorn during the first half of this year, it will include support for 'auxiliary displays,'... "

You might ask yourself what the heck is an 'auxiliary displays,'? At first you might think it is extra monitor, but you would only half right if that is what you guessed. I am going to let read the article to find out what these 'auxiliary displays' truly are.

Google finds its map service (Article)

CNET News.com reports: "In its latest play in the ongoing search wars, Google on Tuesday quietly launched a beta site for a new map service."

It is amazing what Google has been able index, and allows you to search. First it was web pages, then images, then electronic documents (such as: .pdf files, .doc files), etc. It seems like you can almost find everything in Google.

Although Google is not perfect, and is getting better all the time. For example, Google recently started experimenting with video search. They're not the first or the last to have this type of search technology, other sites have been offering it for years. What Google has going for it, is that they're becoming the one place to go to find almost anything.

Yahoo and MSN have some great features, and services that are pretty cool. For example, nobody beats Yahoo for personal portal services (see: My Yahoo) Although in my mind nothing beats Google for searching the web.

Handheld gaming: the next generation (Review)

CNet did a great job of reviewing all the latest portable gaming platforms, which includes: Nintendo DS, Sony PS, Nokia N-Gage QD, Tiger Telematics Gizmondo, Tapwave Zodiac2. If you don't know which one to gaming device to buy, or the pros or cons of the different platforms, you will certainly come away educated after reading the reviews.

Mozilla Firefox 2.0 Roadmap

Check out the Roadmap for Firefox from Mozilla.org. This page includes: Milestone Plan, Naming, Marketing, Branding, and Release Dates for the next versions of Firefox.

Mind-Numbing New Interface Technologies (Article)

GameSpy reports: "Game interfaces often get the shaft. Developers invest tons in graphics or sound or physics, but nobody ever invests tons of time into the control scheme. ... And after a couple decades of stagnation (game pads are basically the same as they were for the NES, save for more buttons) we're finally on the verge of some crazy new technologies for how people interact with games."

The article talks about next generation game controls, that can respond to your movement not just the pressing a button on a control pad. Yes, this type of technology has been around for years, but now it is more sophisticated.

I am pretty sure that this technology can take games to a whole new level of interaction that has been available in the past.

Cooperative Linux

Cooperative Linux (aka 'coLinux') allows you to run Linux on Microsoft Windows natively, without the use of PC virtualization software such as VMware. coLinux allows the Linux kernel to run cooperatively alongside Windows 2000/XP.

To view some screenshots, click here.

Note: In its current state, coLinux runs the KNOPPIX Japanese Edition on Windows.

Free Unix Shell Accounts

Want a free Unix shell account. Check out HBX Networks, below is an excerpt from their site: "HBX Networks is a hacker-friendly community project dedicated to spreading awareness of the FreeBSD Computer Operating System. Our community consists of over 6,100 registered members (and many more who chose to remain anonymous) from every imaginable part of the world. Membership is free, and includes unlimited access to all of our services, including 'unrestricted' shell accounts on various machines. This website includes both a Wiki and Portal, with all the expected amenities, including Forums, Chat, News, Journals, File Archives, Photo Galleries, and enough affiliate projects to make you dizzy."

1 Terabyte of Storage using Holographic Versatile Disc (Article)

First, there was CDs which offers about 700MB of storage, then DVDs came along which have about 8.5GB of storage, soon there will be Blu-ray discs which offers up to 50GB of storage.

The followup technology to Blu-ray discs, is expected to be Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD). HVD discs can hold up to 1 Terabyte of stoage, which means that you could store a few hundred movies on a single optical disc.

For more information see CNET News.com article "Group aims to drastically up disc storage"

"I sue dead people..." (Article)

In RIAA quest to stop music piracy, they're now suing dead grandmothers. The live ones were too easy. In 2003, they tried to sue a 66-year-old woman for sharing gangsta rap.

PlayStation Portable is Coming, PlayStation Portable is Coming (Article)

CNET News.com reports: "Sony is set to launch another battle in the emerging handheld-game war when it brings its PlayStation Portable to North America next month."

Each PSP will cost about $250 dollars. I hope they solved all the problems that they had with their first released of the product in Japan.

A First Look at IIS 7.0 (Article)

FTPOnline reports: "Microsoft's next-generation Web server, Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, isn't due for release until Longhorn ships sometime in 2006. But it's a good idea for Web developers to start thinking about the changes IIS 7.0 will bring..."

If you're an IIS fan, this is an article that you will want to read. It is not very detailed, but does provide a high level view of the technology. An IIS beta is expect out sometime this year.

Blacklists are (Almost) Official Useless!

Spammers have and are developing several techniques and technologies over the years to spread their messages, and bypass anti-spam filters. One of these technologies is a type of program called a 'spam zombie'. These zombies have become more and more powerful over the years, and now they're capable of making RBLs (aka Blacklists) useless.

The new Zombie architecture, acts as proxy to sends spam upstream via the ISP's mail server. This prevents RBLs from working properly, because it is impossible to block all the possible addresses where the messages can come from.

As you're probably already aware, the spam problem isn't getting better. The SpamHaus Project believes that spam is going to skyrocket new levels. The total amount of spam is expected to grow to over 90% in 2005.

FBI Unable to Launch New Computer Program (Article)

eWeek reports: "The FBI has squandered $170 million on a failed computer system agents can use to instantly share information, and seems to know neither how long it will take nor how much it will cost to build one, a Justice Department "

This is not first or the last major government modernization program failed. For example Washington Technology reports about other modernization projects that had similar cost overruns, and failures.

Microsoft to Release 13 New Security Advisories

Microsoft announced plans to release 13 security new advisories on Feb. 8. These advisories include 'critical' fixes for Microsoft Office, Windows Media Player and MSN Messenger; a cumulative patch is expected for Internet Explorer; and updates for Microsoft SharePoint Services, Microsoft .NET Framework and Visual Studio. These patch are designed for fix know problems and security vulnerabilities.

25% off Coupon for Borders/Walden Book

I am not sure that this is real, but I am going to post it anyway. This site is offering a coupon for 25% off at Borders or Walden Book Stores. It is good through 2/10/05.

Sony VAIO VGN-U750P (Review)

PC Magazine reports: "The Sony VAIO VGN-U750P is a neat handheld with a fully functional Windows XP operating system. The only thing missing is a built-in keyboard—and perhaps a compelling reason to need one."

If you're looking for an ultra-compact laptop, then the Sony VAIO VGN-U750P is a new choice. I am not the biggest Sony fan, but I was pretty impressed with the specs on this device.

I still don't know I would do with the device, but I am pretty impressive with what it can do. When you buy an MP3 play, you know that it can play MP3s. Without having a built-in keyboard, the VGN-U750P functionality of the device limited to what you can do with the pointing device. Once you plug in a keyboard, you're good to go.

Sun releases Solaris 10 for free (Article)

CNet reports: "Sun Microsystems has fulfilled its pledge to make its newest version of the Solaris operating system available for free."

New feature include:
- Support for 64-bit x86 processors
- Linux Application Environment, allows unmodified Red Hat Linux programs to run.
- Solaris Containers allows you to subdivide the OS
- New file system called ZFS (Zettabyte File System)
- DTrace, or Dynamic Tracing finds performance issues.
- Predictive self-healing
- and more...

To download the Solaris 10 go here (registration is required).

Rewriting GPL No Easy Task (Article)

eWeek reports: "In 1991, Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, rewrote the GNU General Public License and simply put the final version out over e-mail; that was the last time the GPL has seen significant change."

With all the current copyright and patent shanghaiing going over the last few years in Europe and US, I guess the GPL finally needed to be revised. This revision of the GPL could affect thousands of open source products that use this license.

Long Live Open-Source...

Skype Releases VOIP Software for Mac, Linux (Article)

Skype released the final versions of its software for the Macintosh and Linux platforms. I use SkypeOut for calling Europe, and it is great.

You can call PC-to-PC for free, but PC-to-Phone costs money. I spend about 5 U.S. cents per minute. Its much better then using a cell phone and calling cards that is for sure. I think calling cards were costing me about 10-15 U.S. cents per minute.

All you need is:
- Credit Card
- Broadband connection
- Computer with sound card.
- Good pair of headphone w/microphone

Be forewarned that calling a mobile phone in Europe is about 10x more expensive then calling a regular phone line.

Flash Mind Reader (check it out)

Amaze yourself and your friends. This is an interesting web page, it can perdict a symbol that your going to pick. I demonstrated it to another person, and he had minutes of fun trying to play 'stump the page'. It guesses the correct symbol pretty accurately for us, but it's not perfect.

Microsoft Launches Web Search Engine

eWeek reports: "Microsoft has reached its first major milestone in Web search with the release of its algorithmic search engine, which will compete against Google and Yahoo."

Every company these days wants to be a: Google, Microsoft, Walmart, etc. killer. Although, I don't expect any of these companies to fail or loose market position anytime soon unless these stop innovating.

Microsoft new web search engine is their latest attempt to topple Google. Microsoft has some great products and technology, but I have not found anything that matches Google.

Innovate or Die...

Microsoft Preps Next Windows Update (Article)

BetaNews reports: "Microsoft is preparing to beta test the next revision of Windows Update dubbed v6, or version 6 of the technology. Testing of Windows Update v5 ended late last year and is now operational for all Windows users. Newsgroups for v6 are expected to open within the coming weeks."

Easy Electronic Projects

Have you always wanted to create your own little electronic projects. This site might be a great place to start. The site has several projects that you can create yourself, without requiring you to have an electrical engineering degree.

These projects seem pretty self explanatory, and fun to do. Check out the site for yourself.

Warning: Some of these projects if implemented wrong can hurt you, so use caution. Also, create these project at your own risk.

Aggressive Punctuation (Humor)

Learn new communication skills with 'aggressive punctuation'. You will have to see the video understand what I am talking about.

This video is funny, but contains inappropriate language.

Spray-On Solar-Power Cells Are True Breakthrough (Article)

National Geographic News reports: "Like paint, the composite can be sprayed onto other materials and used as portable electricity. A sweater coated in the material could power a cell phone or other wireless devices. A hydrogen-powered car painted with the film could potentially convert enough energy into electricity to continually recharge the car's battery."

SBC in Merger Talks with AT&T? (Article)

eWeek reports: "Rumors have surfaced that SBC Communications Inc. has begun serious, preliminary negotiations to buy AT&T Corp., a move that would further consolidate the rapidly constricting telecommunications sector."

It is kind of ironic, that SBC is trying to buy AT&T. SBC was one of the baby-bell companies that was created when the government split up AT&T because of anti-trust issues. SBC has been on a buying spree for years, they seem to be buying every telcom company in site.

Leo Laporte Where Are You

If you were ever a fan of TechTV's ScreenSavers, then you know who's Leo Laporte. If you want hear his broadcasts as The Tech Guy on KFI, these shows available for download here. Leo also has a 'Call for Help 2.0' (CFH) show in Canada on G4TechTV.

If you want to download CFH episodes, they're available for download here (via BitTorrent).

For information on:
- Kevin Rose
- Shara Lane
- Yoshi

Computer And Video Games

All the next-generation consoles, Sony's Playstation 3, Microsoft's XBox 2, and Nintendo's Revolution are all rumored to be making an appearance at this year's E3.

More information on Nintendo's Revolution game console, see the following article.

Samsung Miniket Camcorder

Now this is a 21st centrury camcorder, and is about the size of a deck of cards. Besides being able to record video, it is also still digital camera (about 1.2 megapixel), MP3 player, voice recorder, storage device (1GB), and PC webcam.

For more information, see the following review.

I want one of these things...

Get a HP Deskjet 3650 Inkjet Printer for FREE!

Tigerdirect is offering a HP Deskjet 3650 Inkjet Printer for FREE (after $80 mail in rebate). The deal ends on January 31.

Microsoft to Make Windows Anti-Piracy Program Mandatory

eWeek reports: "Microsoft Corp. is planning to make its currently voluntary Windows anti-piracy program mandatory some time in the second half of 2005, company officials said on Wednesday."

If you don't have a legitimate copy of Windows XP, you're going to have kiss you're Windows updates bye, bye. Then say hello to new vulnerabilities, exploits, virus, worms, and spyware. Not that you don't have them already, you just won't have the cure.

Its kind of interesting to think that Microsoft is going to use new security exploits which will be found, to force people to upgrade. We will have to see what happens.

The Microsoft Memo 2008 (Humor [I think...])

Wired news provides us with 'The Microsoft Memo', an interesting memo Linus Torvald (now a Microsoft employee) to Bill Gates about Steve Jobs and WinX.

Read the article, for all the details.

Google rolls out TV search prototype (Article)

Google does it again, now you can not only search the Internet, UseNet, books, and new; now you search video. If you want to try out the new service for yourself, go to "http://video.google.com/".

CNET News.com reports: "the Mountain View, Calif.-based company has been quietly developing Google Video, an engine that lets people search the text of TV shows. Immediately, the service will scour programming from PBS, Fox News, C-SPAN, ABC, and the NBA, among others, making broadcasts searchable the same day."

What's Wrong With This Picture.

Look at the picture and find out what's wrong with it.

Sega takes leash off robot dog (Article)

Those wild and crazy robot building Japanese are up to it again, now they're bringing us iDog. It is a robotic dog, that can make or play music.

YouSendIt.com

Do you ever have the need to send a large file (such as: audio or video) to a friend or relative, but you can't send it via email because of attachment size limitation imposed by your or reciever's the mail provider.

There is an anwser to this problem, YouSendIt.com allows you to send large files (up to 1GB) to someone else. The great thing about this service is there: are no passwords to share, no software to install, no accounts to create, and no full mailboxes.

How it work:
- Enter the Recipient's email address, to whom you want to sent the file to. You can specify multiple email addresses by separating them with commas.
- Select a file to send. Your file will be stored by YouSendIt without ever filling up your recipient's mailbox.
- Click on Send. YouSendIt will automatically email your recipient a link to your file stored on our server.

Note: The file you send will be deleted off their servers after seven days.

Firefox Reaches 20,000,000 Downloads

SpreadFirefox.com reports: "The Firefox the popular open source browser has reached 20,000,000 estimated downloads. What's even more amazing is the fact that it was done in about 11 weeks."

Solving the Enigma of Kryptos (Article)

What does Cryptography, The Da Vinci Code, and a 12-foot-high, verdigrised copper, granite and wood sculpture inscribed with four encrypted messages at the CIA's Langley, Virginia, headquarters in 1990 all have in common. Well you will have to read the article to find out.

USB Eye Massager (You Have to be Joking...)

I can't believe someone would design such a thing, but it exists. Here is a web site and pictures to prove it.

Below is a brief description of the product from the site: "USB Eye Massager is the latest-designed health care Product specially for the Person which long time use their eyes, Such as the Computer operator. The product could relax the stress of the Eyes. and make your whole body in the situation of the unstressing by the product vibration."

OS Alternatives - BSD Unix (Article)

PC Magazine did a great job of providing an introduction to the different variants of the BSD Unix. If you're BSD power user, this article would be basic to be of any interest, but if you know nothing about: FreeBSD, OpenBSD, or NetBSD then this is good place to start.

Mac Mini Car Installation

Classic Restorations of Sloatsburg, N.Y. has created plans to install the Mac Mini in car dashboards. The dimensions of the Mac Mini are similar to that of a car stereo.

JibJab Does It Again

JibJab has releases a new animated short film called 'Second Term,' which pokes fun at President Bush, his friends and his rivals.

File Your Taxes for Free (or for a small fee)

Under the IRS's 'Free File program', consumers have the opportunity file their taxes directly with the IRS using online services created by 3rd party software developers for little or no charge.

For example, FreeTaxUSA.com is free tax file services for qualified individuals. Their tax preparation and e-filing of your federal return are free if you live in one of the following states: AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, IN, LA, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, UT, or VA.

Intel accelerates virtual-desktop plans (Article)

CNET News.com reports : "Intel will begin to implement technology that will let a user run two operating systems on the same PC this year ... Vanderpool essentially divides the resources inside a single PC or server so that it can function like two or more independent machines."

This is not a new technology, but it will be interesting to see if Intel releases it for free or fee.

Airbus A380 the Double-Decker SuperJumbo Jet

There's amazing new jet, its called the Airbus A380, it is a what they call a 'double-decker superjumbo jet'. Below are some stats on the new A380:

- It has room for 70 cars to park on its wings.
- It can seat 555 passengers in a normal configuration, 800 passengers in an all-economy layout on both decks for cheap charter flights.
- Each plane will costs about $260 million.
- Due to enter service in 2006

Virgin Airlines is considering buying some of these planes, and is considering plans to put a beauty therapist area, a gym, a casino, and double beds into the models it buys.

For more information see CNet's article.

Personal Note: I wonder if this plane is doomed to same fate as the Concorde, it is an amazing plane but it might be too much. I am not expert in the field of the airline industry, but unless you can keep one of these things full it might be a losing proposition for any company to run them.

What is a CableCard?

If you have not heard the FCC wants to get rid of your cable set-top box, and replace it with a new technology called 'CableCard'. The new CableCard standard is designed to help speed the arrival of digital HDTV.

For more information read CNet article on the technology. Ready or not, here it comes.

Learn to solve the Rubik's cube in 17 seconds

If you like to play with the Rubik's cube back in the 80's, and were pretty good with it then check out this site. It can help you solve the cube in 17 seconds.

Below is a quote from the site: "This system for advanced cubers and is not appropriate for a beginner. It is intended for those of you who can already solve the cube in a few minutes and want to get really fast. If you are a complete beginner, please, visit Jasmine's Beginner Solution."

Latest Longhorn News

PC World Magazine reports: "Microsoft plans to drop the 'Home' and 'Pro' tags with the next release of Windows, code-named Longhorn, and is looking at shipping a single product that includes the features found in today's Windows XP Media Center and Tablet PC editions."

Everything USB (Web Site)

Check out 'Everything USB' is a cool web site that has news latest on all the cool USB devices.

Media Hubs: Is this the Year? (Article)

PC Magazine reports: "Last year, digital media hubs - essentially wired or (preferably) wireless routers that pull music, photos, and videos off your PC and play them on your TV and stereo - were solidly the province of early adopters. They often had somewhat limited features and were pricey and hard to set up. But 2005 might be the year media hubs go mainstream."

This is a technology that I am watching for myself, so I thought I would share a review of some hardware that I found.

Free Game: BZFlag

Check out BZFlag on SourceForge, a free multiplayer multiplatform 3D tank battle game. The name of the game stands for Battle Zone capture Flag. It runs on Irix, Linux, *BSD, Windows, Mac OS X and other platforms. It's one of the most popular games ever on Silicon Graphics machines.

Check out the web site for screenshots of the game.

Latest News:
BZFlag 2.0 'Falcor's Despair' is Released! (12/17/05@9:08PM)
The BZFlag developers are proud to announce that after much waiting and anticipation, BZFlag 2.0.0 is now available. BZFlag 2 introduces a slew of major new features making this probably the 'biggest' release in BZFlag's history in terms of development time put into it and features being added since the last publicly released version. Major new features include support for vastly more complex worlds, physics drivers, graphics improvements, weather (rain, snow, frogs), tank treads and tracks, animations, record and playback, new flags, new commands, optimizations and much more. There is a new central registration system, global ban list support, network, new cheat preventions, and network optimizations in place as well.

FBI retires Carnivore

The Register reports: "FBI surveillance experts have put their once-controversial Carnivore Internet surveillance tool out to pasture, preferring instead to use commercial products to eavesdrop on network traffic, according to documents released Friday."

The FBI first start using Carnivore 1999 to eavesdrop on people whom why wanted to monitor. It was really nothing but a packet sniffer, with an ominous name.

Cooking For Engineers

Have an analytical mind? Like to cook? The recipes are in timeline based diagrams for easy preparation.

Google is Offering Free Photo Management Software (v2.0)

Google is giving away its Picasa software for free. Picasa is a photo editing, management and sharing application that allows you to edit, find, share your pictures.

The new released includes Gmail/Blogger integration, CD burning, a new collage-generating tool, and some more photographic editing features.

Free Encrypted Email for the Masses

Do you want to easily communicate securely and privately over email. Ciphire Labs in Germany is offering software that makes it easy to encrypted e-mail communications. New Scientist wrote an article about the product.

Once the software is installed it performs all the complex tasks of encrypting your e-mails. The software works with most email clients, and is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

Note: This service will only work if you and the recipient are running this software.

Poor Man's Surveillance System (Linux)

Do you have a web cam for your Linux computer, and have you always want your own video surveillance system. Then all you need is Motion package to setup your new system.

The Motion package simply compares two images. If it detects a change between the two images, it can make the system beep and start storing images, show you what happened.

Resources:
- Motion Guide
- The Motion FAQ

Cool Clock from Japan

This is one of those sites I like to classify as a 'one-hit wonder'. Meaning that you go to the once site and say 'interesting', and never have a reason to visit it again.

With that said, check out the Japanese Block Clock.

Too Much of a Good (Windows) Thing?

Read the latest news on Microsoft Longhorn (the codename for the next generation of Windows). The information is kinda iffy about features, but it is still a good article.

Investors Supporting Spyware

According to Ben Edelman (an attorney that specialized in spyware lawsuits) web site "Major investment firms help support the operations of large US-based spyware companies. This page gives a summary of such companies and the investment firms supporting them."

The Ultimate Flashlight (3 million candle power)

Now you can own the ultimate flashlight with 3 million candle power of light. What you're going to do with this thing is your business. I personally can't think of anything useful for it, except for saying that have a 3 million candle power flashlight.

I have no idea what this would do if someone looked into it, I am pretty sure it could cause temporary or permanent blindness. It ridiculous to have a flashlight that is this powerful. Its also so heavy it may require you to use a shoulder strap to hold it for prolonged periods of time.

Spammers Breaking DNS

eWeek came out with an article about a new trick that spammers are using to make it more difficult to find and prosecute them. What spammers are doing is sending out millions of SPAM early in the morning point to non-existing domain name. Then they register the domain name, hoping to escape the CAN-SPAM fines via
this technical loophole.

The problem arises when millions of SMTP servers are attempting to perform DNS lookups for domains that don't exist, which causes all kinds of timeout problems.

Tron 2.0 (The Movie)

When I was a kid and saw Tron for the first time it sparked my imagination of what can happen with computers. The movie seems primative by today's standards, but it is still a great movies to watch. Well, there is rumor floating around the Net about a Tron 2.0 movie.

All I can say is, hopefully it will be good. I am always afraid that they will take too many creative liberties, and massacre the orginal story.

End of Line.

Fun With Microwave Ovens

This site includes several interesting experiments involving your a microwave oven. These experiments can be dangerous, so use extreme caution, be very careful.

Warning: Perform these experiments at your own risk.

Darth Tater (Picture)

This is kinda lame and funny at the same time, it is 'Darth Tater' from Hasbro, Inc. in New York. Available at stores nationwide in February.

Build These Noise-Canceling Headphones

Want to build your own noise-canceling headphone, if you have technical ability this article will show you how. Here is brief excerpt from the article, "In today’s hectic and noisy world, we are all searching for a little peace and quiet. Well, you might not be able to slip off to a tranquil forest for an hour or two, but you can block out background noise with the Noise-Canceling Headphones. The theory behind this project is that by picking up ambient sound with a microphone and reproducing it out of phase, we can actively cancel or "null" out background noise. In fact, several commercially available devices perform the same function. However, by building your own headset, you can add features not otherwise available and have fun while doing it!"

Firefox: The Road Ahead (Article)

Neowin.net reports "Now that Firefox is firmly establishing itself in the browser market (download graph), we can look forward to subsequent milestone releases by the Mozilla Foundation. Firefox 1.1 (Dubbed 'Deer Park') is slated for release in March of this year, and will be the end result of the post 1.0 'Aviary Branch - Trunk' merge. Mozilla also plans to release 2 additional milestone builds of Firefox before 2006. (With Fx 1.5 'The Ocho', and 'Firefox 2' being released near year end) "

If you want to see the technology roadmap for Firefox, check out this article.

1.6 Terabyte NAS Server for the Home or Office

Want a fault tolerant Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. Anthology Solutions introduced the Linux-based Yellow Machine P400T. It is about the size of a toaster, and can store 1.6 Terabytes of data.

The device was recently unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It offers fault-tolerant RAID support (Levels 0, 1, or 5) and several other networking functions. It can be setup in two, three or four hard disk drive configurations (using an IDE/PATA interface), in addition to a non-RAID single-disk mode.

The device includes an 8-port LAN switch, router, DHCP service, a packet inspection firewall, with web control. The software housed on the device allows for automated backup of PCs, file services, as well as video and audio storage.

For more information, see the product page.

Office Olympics

Office Olympics is an entertainment website offering office humor video tapes and put on the Internet to be watched while bored at work and hopefully inspire you to submit your own office olympics videos to our archives. Download our Office Olympics videos, join the forums and get involved, theres no time to be sitting around.

Make sure to also check out their download section, to see the videos.

New DRM Scheme Could Make DVD Players Obsolete

eWeek reports: "A content-protection system for DVDs, designed to protect users from burning 'protected' DTV broadcasts. The encryption system will be built into next-generation DVD players as well as media."

Start Your Own Telecommunications Company

Would you like to start your own Telecommunications company offering VOIP services. With some advice from George Ou at ZDNet, open-source VOIP software, and about $6000 you can.

Biggest Blue Screen I Have Ever Seen

This is a great picture of a Windows BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) on the corner of 42nd Street and 8th Ave in New York City. There are also some interesting links to other computers that have had other types of Windows errors.

Hacker penetrates T-Mobile systems

SecurityFocus has an interesting story about a hacker who broke into T-Mobile computer systems. The hacker used his access to monitor U.S. Secret Service e-mail, obtain customers' passwords and Social Security numbers, and download candid photos taken by Sidekick users, including Hollywood celebrities.

How About 1.6 Terabytes per Disc

InPhase Technologies Inc. is planing on bringing holographic storage drives to market by 2006. The company plans to demonstrate its first fully functioning prototype Tapestry holographic drive at the 2005 Storage Visions conference, being held in Las Vegas

InPhase's holographic storage media stores data in three-dimensional holograms cut into a polymer material 1.5 mm (0.06 inch) thick that is placed between two 130 mm (5.1-inch) plastic discs. Because holographic devices are able to store data in three-dimensional "pages," they are expected to have a much larger capacity than CDs or DVDs, which store data only on the disc's surface.